Hazards of Imagination
by PinkFreud
Summary: Writing trashy stories was just supposed to be a hobby, a nice distraction. But when she finds a muse in a very unexpected person, Darcy Lewis winds up getting more than she bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I know the last thing that I probably need is yet another fic to lag in updates on, but I've been toying with this one for some time and I decided to give it a try. It's not going to be as long as some of my others, and not as dark and existential. (I say that now, but my imagination does tend to run amok sometimes so who knows, lol) Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

Darcy Lewis had a hobby, and it was a very secret one. She liked to write what some people might call 'smut' or 'trash'. She called it erotica, and it was a good time. She had quite a sizeable collection of stories that she continuously added to, and she chronically debated with herself about whether to publish them or not. She also belonged to several writing forums and websites, but there mainly she just perused other people's stories. This was all done in her spare time, when she had any. Lately, things had been quite hectic at SHIELD headquarters, where she worked as Dr. Jane Foster's assistant, and the job demanded a surprisingly large chunk of her life, thanks to Jane's relentless passion for her science. Which made those times when Darcy could go home at a normal hour, pour herself a glass of wine and devote an evening to writing all the more special.

But on this particular cold, sharply grey Tuesday afternoon everything had slowed to a boring crawl; it seemed that she would be stuck at work for an eternity, her head ached dully from monotony and the glare of the computer screen in front of her.

''I am so bored, I am so bored,'' she chanted aloud in a sing-song voice.

''If you're so bored then why don't you back up all of the files from yesterday and this morning,'' Jane suggested, fixing her with a pointed stare.

''That's so been done already,'' replied Darcy, fishing through the jar of candy on her desk until she found a mini Snickers.

''Then I don't know what to tell you. Because unless you're willing to learn advanced calculus in the next five minutes, I have nothing else for you to do right now.''

Darcy considered this for a moment. ''Kay. In that case I'm gonna go get coffee.''

''See, _now_ you're thinking.'' Jane's eyes immediately brightened at the prospect of caffeine. ''Get me a six shot Americano.''

''No. Not again,'' Darcy said firmly as she got to her feet. ''Four shots of espresso is all you get. That's all I'm willing to deal with.''

''Fine. Four shots,'' Jane relented, pouting a bit. ''With sugar-free hazelnut!'' she added.

''Ewww,'' the younger woman retorted as she headed out the door.

The astrophysicist sighed, shaking her head lightly and turning back to her laptop screen. Lost in thought, she nearly had a heart attack when she heard a deep voice right next to her shoulder say, ''I hate to disturb you, but I need 3 of the files from yesterday.'' Whirling around, Jane clutched her chest. ''Loki! How many times have I told you not to do that! Knock first, please.''

A maddening smile crossed the god's pale, coldly handsome face. ''I apologize. It won't happen again. Now, if you don't mind, I really rather need to have those.''

Jane waved her hand in the direction of Darcy's computer. ''They're on that flash drive. Help yourself.'' The sooner he left, the better. He gave her the creeps, and he knew it, too.

''Thank you, Dr. Foster,'' he added with grudging, cool politeness, and left.

Darcy arrived back fifteen minutes later with coffee. ''Oh thank you,'' exclaimed Jane, snatching up her large Americano. She removed the plastic lid from the cup and inhaled the steam with a look of great satisfaction.

Setting down her own drink, Darcy's eye came to rest on her laptop. Or specifically, the USB port where her flash drive had been plugged in. ''Uh, Jane? Where's my flash drive?''

Jane blew on her coffee until it was cool enough to take a sip. ''Loki came and took it after you left. He needed a couple of the files from yesterday.''

All the color drained from Darcy's face, her heart plummeted in utter disbelief. The flash drive that had been plugged in to the computer wasn't for work. That was the drive that she used to keep all of her stories on; she often took it to work in case it got to be an uncommonly boring afternoon like this one.

''Did...did you say that _Loki_ came and took it?''

Jane nodded. ''Yes. Unfortunately.'' She made a face. ''Why? What does it matter?''

''Where's his office?''

The scientist shot her a withering look. ''On the upper levels. With all the really important people. Don't even try to get up there, our clearance doesn't extend past this floor.'' She looked more closely at her friend. ''Hey, are you alright? You look like you swallowed a bug or something.''

''Can you call him?''

''What? Call who?'' Jane's mind was currently on quantum mechanics and coffee, though not necessarily in that order.

''Loki! Obviously, that's who we're talking about! Can...you...call...him?'' Darcy spoke very slowly and deliberately, increasing the volume with every word.

The astrophysicist shrugged. ''I could try, but he never answers any calls or voicemails. Director Fury was after him about it for awhile, but then he just gave up and decided that perhaps it was better if Loki remained antisocial. I could call the entrance desk, see if they could catch him. What is this about, anyway?''

''First try calling the desk, then I'll tell you.'' Darcy was extremely pale, now. She dug her nails into the arms of her chair, watched as Jane dialed the extension and waited. She took a nervous sip of her latte. It tasted burnt, but she didn't really care at the moment. Jane rolled her eyes as she continued waiting, then said ''Yes, this is Dr. Jane Foster in the astrophysics lab. Loki came down here just a little while ago to pick up some files, I was wondering if he'd returned to his office yet and if so could I speak with him?'' She waited again, listened, then nodded. ''I see. And when...? Alright, thank you, I'd appreciate that. Have a good day.'' Jane put the phone down.

''He's not here. He's left for the day.''

''What do you mean, 'left for the day?'

''It means,'' Jane said slowly, ''that he went home. He's left the building. He is no longer here, in this general vicinity.''

Darcy groaned and clutched her chest.

''Why are you being so much more theatrical than usual? What's going on? I mean it, I won't ask again.'' Jane folded her arms across her chest and glared at her friend.

She heaved a sigh, and then mumbled, ''Those weren't work files that he took. That was my personal flash drive.''

''Oh,'' said Jane, and understanding began to dawn a little. ''And given that it was your personal flash drive, I assume that it must have had some _personal_ files on it? Is that what you're trying to tell me?''

Darcy nodded vigorously, working herself up into a panic attack.

''What kinds of files? There aren't any...like...incriminating photos on there or anything, right?'' Jane looked rather concerned.

The other woman rolled her eyes. ''Yes, Jane, it's full of very incriminating photos of me, naked and taking bong hits. No! What kind of idiot do you think I am?''

''Well, clearly the kind that brings their personal files into work and then leaves them out where they could be easily mistaken for something else,'' the scientist shot back. ''Seriously, though, what was on there? It must be something bad, or you wouldn't be acting like this.''

''It was just a bunch of stories,'' muttered Darcy, her face turning red. ''And usually I'm more careful, this was just a fluke thing.''

Jane tapped her fingers on the desk and gave her friend a strange look. ''Why are you so agitated over a bunch of stories? Is your grammar really bad or something?''

Darcy looked over at her with a scowl. ''No, I'll have you know that my grammar is excellent. Those stories were...not ready to be seen by anyone else yet. I still have a lot of work to do on the...plot.''

* * *

 **One Week Earlier**

Darcy hadn't really meant to write about _Loki_ , especially not in that context. But she couldn't really help herself. She needed a male protagonist with an...edge, and he fit the bill quite well. He was dangerous—perhaps not so much at the moment, since Odin had stripped nearly all of his abilities from him before exiling him on Earth to serve out his punishment among the people he'd tried to enslave. But generally speaking, there was a distinct amount of danger still lurking there, at least Darcy felt so. She always shivered inexplicably when she saw him. This was usually a rare occurrence, he hadn't ventured down to their department much until recently, apparently all of the important people upstairs needed to consult with an astrophysicist. Darcy wasn't exactly sure why, or what everyone was suddenly so on edge about—she just made the charts and spreadsheets, didn't really understand exactly what it all meant. Well, sometimes she did, she'd definitely gotten a crash course while working with Jane, but whatever they were freaking out about now was beyond the scope of her understanding.

In order to keep from losing her mind, Darcy had decided to take a very small break from all of the constant, soul-crushing data entry and work on her story, which only wound up making her more frustrated. As she was tapping at the keys, she heard footsteps near her work station, saw a tall figure with dark hair walk by. She didn't understand why, but again came that shiver along her spine. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling to Darcy, and that unnerved her. No matter how hard she tried after that, every time that she began to work on her story, or even think about it, she could only see _him_ in her mind as she formed her characters. This disturbed her. But, though at first she hated to admit it, it also excited her just a little. There was something about the _forbidden_ that meshed so well with the sort of writing that she did. Maybe for this exact reason he had turned out to be the perfect muse—a little _too_ perfect, truth be told. Darcy had lately found herself getting continuously turned on while writing, more so than usual. Before, it was easy enough to write as a detached observer—though there may have been a certain inevitable element of living vicariously through her stories, she was starting to get more drawn into them now. Her main female character, Violet, (and Darcy was aware that was a terrible name and would need to be changed) was becoming less like the way she had originally been constructed, and was becoming more like Darcy, in personality and appearance both. Darcy also found that she was having dreams about her story, heated dreams in which she had a starring role, along with that particular _someone_. And those dreams were also becoming more and more vivid. And explicit. This had begun to bother Darcy, just a little—mostly because she enjoyed it. And she wasn't supposed to. _Violet_ could, but not her. That was the way it worked; it was _safe_ that way.

Deciding to give writing a rest for a while, she threw herself back into work, which was perhaps not the best way to avoid the god who was slowly beginning to haunt her mind, somehow managing to infect it like a virus. Darcy wasn't sure exactly what was going on that suddenly had everyone so bothered, but their work-load had definitely increased and now she and Jane were suddenly more important to Nick Fury and the Avengers. Or at least Jane was. Darcy entered the data, made the charts, and got coffee and ran other errands for the scientist, as she'd done since college. But at least now she had a steady job, a fairly decent paycheck, and her own desk. Which she'd been spending quite a bit of time at.

''So, please explain to me again what the hell everyone is so freaked out about?'' Darcy asked her friend, who was frowning at the computer screen in front of her.

''Black hole,'' muttered Jane, tapping away at the keyboard.

 _That_ was interesting, at least. ''Are we all gonna get sucked into one or something?''

''Or something. 'Black Hole' is more of a code name,'' Jane replied. ''Look, I can't really get into the physics of it right now— _I'm_ even having a hard time with this.'' She _was_ , too—her face was drawn and pinched and she looked in desperate need of a vacation. ''But it's probably honestly nothing to be concerned with—the team just seems to have certain worries about some...activity that they've detected and they need reassurance, that's all.'' She rubbed her temples. ''Unfortunately, I'm the one in charge of giving them that reassurance.''

Since childhood, Darcy had a tendency to retreat into her imagination when real life got a little too crazy. It gave a kind of balance to her mind. So with all the extra hours of work that she and Jane were doing, her fantasy life had seemingly gone into overdrive to compensate. Forcing herself not to think about the strange data in front of her—the charts and graphs and star maps—or the possibility that they might all get sucked into a black hole, or whatever it was, she instead imagined other worlds, characters, scenarios that gave her an outlet, an escape. And sometimes more than that. It had been quite some time since she'd been involved with anyone romantically, or even simply gotten laid. Her life had quickly become consumed by the bizarre after New Mexico, and anyone she'd even been mildly interested in had just begun to seem too...boring. She realized that in some way the stories that she wrote reflected a sort of internalized sexual frustration, but at least it was an outlet, and a creative one.

On Thursday, around three in the afternoon, she got up to stretch her legs and get them some coffee. This was a necessary trip that she made every few hours. The hallway was quiet, now, everyone seemed to be busy working. Darcy hummed to herself as she pressed the buttons on the coffee machine at the end of the corridor. The liquid that poured down into the paper cup was at least _drinkable_ , and she was far too tired and poor to be running out to Starbucks every time that Jane needed caffeine. She mentally crossed her fingers, hoping that they would get out tonight at a reasonable hour—her story was calling to her, and she was going to give in.

At the sound of soft footsteps she looked up and saw that Loki was standing a few feet away. His hand was on the door to one of the offices but he was paused, seemingly, just watching her. Darcy's hands shook a little, some coffee sloshed out of the styrofoam cup and ran down over her skin, stinging. His eyes were the strangest color, they made weird little pins and needles rake through her blood. She tried to smile a little at him. He didn't say anything at all in response, didn't really change expression, just turned away silently and entered the office, closing the door. Darcy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

For whatever reason, those dreams seemed to be affecting her waking life too, though not in a bad way. For example, one morning a few days after this encounter she awoke and decided that she didn't want to look the way she always did. Rather than the sweater, scarf and hat that she usually wore, Darcy pulled on a pair of black pants and a turquoise shirt that was a little tighter and lower-cut than she typically wore to work, but oh well. Her writing hobby had made her newly adventurous, so much so that she also decided to forsake her glasses and slip in the contact lenses that she typically neglected.

Later that afternoon she was carrying a large stack of folders down the hallway when her leg caught on something and she tripped unexpectedly. Darcy braced herself for the unpleasantness of hitting the floor and then having to clean up the shower of paper that was to inevitably follow, but instead she felt hands lock around her waist, steadying her and pulling her back.

''Whew!'' she said, turning to thank whoever had grabbed her and finding herself looking right at Loki. Her eyes widened a little and she could feel her traitorous heart speed up. Darcy really hoped that he couldn't read minds. He stared at her again with those maddening eyes, then said, ''You look different today.'' His hands were still around her, she realized. And he had very nice hands, the sort that you'd expect to belong to an artist or a musician rather than a villainous demigod. She didn't know what to say in response. He let go of her, then, and simply turned and walked away as if nothing had happened. Darcy realized that she'd never even thanked him.

Later that evening, when she finally got home and settled into more comfortable clothes, she sat down on the couch with her laptop, biting her lip as she stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keys, itching to set down and start writing. For a moment, Darcy contemplated opening a new document and starting over, writing something fresh. Then hopefully a different muse might find her. But then, she didn't. Taking a large, large sip of wine, she gave in and allowed the words to flow, wondering what the hell she had gotten herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm glad that you are all liking the story so far! Here is the next chapter for you, please let me know what you think!**

* * *

Once he arrived home, Loki plugged the borrowed flash drive into his laptop and sighed. He'd rather not spend his evening working, but then again, he supposed, he had nothing else to do. Netflix was a wonderful invention, but he'd already watched nearly everything in his list, and he'd already read all the books downloaded onto his tablet. Getting drunk might be a fine endeavor, but it would take far more liquor than he felt like consuming at the moment. So no, work it was until he could find a better way to occupy his time.

He frowned at the list of files contained on the drive. They had strange names, 'chapter one,' 'chapter 2', and all appeared to be word documents, rather than the expected charts and graphs. Curious, he clicked on 'chapter one' and began to read.

Hmm...most definitely _not_ the files that he was looking for. He'd stumbled upon something far more interesting, it seemed. This looked to be someone's novel. A...rather steamy historical novel, in fact, set in 1835. Loki's eyebrows raised at first in mild surprise and then his lips curved into a smile as he was introduced to some of the characters: Miss Violet Delancey (what a terribly cliché name, he thought to himself with a shudder), her fussy older sister Jeanette, a few more supporting here and there, and then came the man who he supposed was to be the main antagonist, the mysterious and possibly sinister Mr. Lamont.

 _They had told her that he was wicked, and to stay away from him, but Violet shuddered every time he caught her eye, and not with fear. There was indeed something devilish in his shimmering green gaze, in the smirk that always crossed his lips..._

Loki was now reading the story with more purpose than he had initially intended. It went on for several pages like that, lots of forbidden longing and hidden motives, people (especially Jeanette) kept warning Violet away from this fellow, whoever he was, but naturally she didn't seem to be listening.

 _Lamont caught her in the corner, the lamplight causing shadows to flicker mischievously over his pale face. He moved even closer, until Violet was pushed against the wall. Her breath was coming very quickly now. ''What are you doing sneaking around in here?'' he asked, seeming suddenly much taller than before._

 _''I wasn't sneaking,'' Violet said defiantly, trying to regain her composure, ''I was simply looking for something that belonged to me. My notebook. It seems to have gone missing, and I thought-''_

 _''You thought that I might have it, because of all the things that you have heard about me.'' He chuckled lightly. ''But I assure you, I have no interest in the ramblings of a silly girl.''_

 _Violet bristled with indignation. ''They're not ramblings, Sir. They're-'' she couldn't very well tell him that they were important documents, that she was actually working as a spy for the Realm. ''My very personal musings,'' she finished. ''Now if you'll just be letting me get on-''_

 _He pressed against her now, she could feel the firm outline of his body, his breath ghosted over her cheek. His mouth was too close to hers for comfort, and yet, she couldn't help but wish that he would kiss her. ''If you persist, Sir, I will scream,'' said Violet._

 _He smiled, showing his teeth. ''Oh, please do,'' he said, ''I love screaming.''_

And it proceeded from there much as expected, growing more and more explicit. It seemed that there was to be a good deal of bodice-ripping in this particular tale. Mr. Lamont was just about to have his way with Violet, who seemed to not be protesting _at all_ anymore, and in fact was participating rather vigorously, when the couple were interrupted. And that was where it stopped. Pity, Loki thought, with almost genuine disappointment. It was just getting good. And far more entertaining than data analysis. In fact, he noticed with no small degree of annoyance, he'd actually gotten rather aroused while reading. It _had_ been quite a long time since... He must be more bored than he initially realised, essentially caged here on earth, at the mercy of this organisation and its merry band of earth-defending misfits. Yes, it had been a long time. Loki tried to ignore the feeling, to will it away, but now his mind was full of images conjured by the words and they weren't going away. Oh well, he thought as he unzipped his pants and took himself in hand, he wasn't going to be able to get any work done tonight anyhow.

Afterward, feeling more relaxed, he found himself actually reading the story a second time. What a...lively imagination this writer had. Her prose was decent, it flowed well, even if she had a tendency to be mildly repetitive and overuse adverbs. The style held a certain unique charm, there was something about it that drew him in. His mind was now set on discovering the identity of the author. Loki considered where he had appropriated the flash drive. _Not_ Foster, certainly, he thought with a roll of his eyes, she didn't have a mind _this_ creative. It _could_ certainly be the little assistant, the one with the dark hair. He'd seen her a few times recently in passing—her appearance had changed somewhat as of late, it had made him take notice. She'd slipped and nearly fallen the other day and he had caught her—she was dressed differently than usual, her clothes were more...clingy than the mostly shapeless things that she tended to wear. And she wasn't wearing glasses. Her eyes, Loki had realized, were very large and a very clear shade of blue. She'd seemed awfully skittish though, maybe startled. She was always catching his eye at different times and then ducking away shyly. Well, if it was her, she wasn't nearly as shy or as skittish as he had supposed. Suddenly, he was no longer bored.

* * *

Darcy had sat and stewed in nervous misery for the remainder of the day, biting her fingernails until Jane finally sent her home. The later evening had her feeling much the same, dreading the next day, cursing herself for being so stupid.

Loki was pretty damned smart, wasn't he? Surely he'd be able to recognize a very thinly disguised version of himself. She cringed at the thought as she poured herself a large glass of wine and drank it very fast before climbing into bed and shutting all thoughts out of her mind.

 _She was running down the corridor, holding up the skirts of her long dress so that she wouldn't trip. Ducking into the library, she paused a moment to catch her breath. Moonlight flickered in through the windows, casting the room in a ghostly glow. Then she heard footsteps, a low chuckle behind her, a voice that sent shivers along her spine and heat to her lower belly. ''There you are,'' said Lamont, his hands wrapping around her from behind and slowly finding their way inside the bodice of her dress as his lips and teeth found her neck. ''We shouldn't be doing this,'' she said, even as she melted against him. ''This is dangerous. It's wrong.''_

 _''I thought that you liked a bit of danger, darling,'' he whispered._

Darcy woke from the dream with a groan. This was getting out of hand, especially _now_. But she couldn't deny the flushed, buzzed feeling all over her body that indicated that she'd been enjoying it. She'd obviously put off writing the night before, just to let her mind clear, but she wouldn't be able to continue to do that, it seemed. Her subconscious wasn't allowing it. Darcy got up and wrapped herself in a robe, looking at the time and seeing that she had a few hours to kill before she needed to go into work. She could easily crank out a few pages. Thanks to her dreams, the plot of her story was clearer than ever now, the characters better formed. Alright, Darcy reasoned, she could keep writing, certainly, just not at work. _Never_ at work. She would have to be more discreet, was all. Keep her hobby a hobby, separate from her job. If she was bored at SHIELD, she would just have to find something else to do to pass the time. Maybe take up knitting.

* * *

Her stomach was in knots as she approached their office several hours later, obligatory cups of coffee in hand. She sat the larger one down beside Jane, who was already deeply engrossed in whatever she was doing. Going over to her own desk, Darcy's heart did a weird little skip when she saw that her flash drive had been returned, it was sitting there in plain sight by her computer. She made a strange noise, and Jane looked up. ''What—oh, hey Darce.'' She took a sip of coffee.

''When did my flash drive get brought back?'' she asked.

Jane shrugged. ''Maybe like an hour ago. Loki just put it on the desk and then walked out.''

''Did he say anything?''

''I honestly can't remember, I try to block it out whenever he talks. Listen, I'm sure that he honestly doesn't care about your stories. I don't know what he cares about, but it's probably...weird, evil things, so I wouldn't worry. I doubt that he's going to be critiquing your writing.'' The astrophysicist took in Darcy's appearance after she spoke, seemed to be studying her quietly for a moment.

''You have a crush on someone, don't you?'' she said with a smile.

Darcy looked up from where she had begun nervously organizing a stack of papers into a folder. ''What makes you say that?'' she said, her voice sounding high and weird.

The scientist nodded toward Darcy's chest. ''Usually those don't make quite so much of an appearance. It's alright,'' she hurried to add, ''If I had a figure like yours, I'd show it off too, believe me.''

''Thanks,'' she mumbled, and picked up the folder, regretting that she had worn this particular top today. It _was_ too low cut. ''I'll be right back. I'm just gonna run these to the front desk so that they can get sent upstairs. I don't know why they even bother with hard copies anymore.''

Darcy was hurrying along, still deep in thought and not watching where she was going, so she didn't see that the cleaning crew were working in that particular hallway, at least not until she'd tripped over the vacuum cord and crashed to the ground. ''God damn it!'' she cursed angrily, seeing that the folder had fallen out of her hands and there was now an enormous shower of paper all over the floor. ''Damn hard copies! Fucking _paper_! Kill a few more trees, why don't you, SHIELD! Defenders of the Earth, my ass,'' she continued to grumble as she crawled around picking them up. Once she had them all together, she saw a pair of male legs in front of her, long legs, she noticed, as her eyes followed them up until she saw who they were attached to. Of course. As if it could be anyone else. Loki smirked down at her, then held out his hand.

''Might I suggest paper clips?'' he said, as he helped her to her feet.

She managed to nod. ''Yeah, that might be a good idea.''

''What is your name?'' he asked.

''Darcy,'' she said, her mouth gone rather dry. ''Darcy Lewis.''

''You work with Dr. Foster, correct?''

''Uh, yeah. I enter the data and do the files and stuff.'' She winced at how stupid this description sounded. He simply nodded and then walked away without another word.

* * *

Strangely enough, intelligent and observant though he was, in his two separate readings of the story, Loki had been rather oblivious to the similarities between himself and Mr. Lamont. Perhaps it was because he had never really considered that anyone would see him in a romantic context. If it had been a horror novel, then perhaps he would have been more inclined to look for comparisons. No, Loki was far more interested in learning the identity of the author, finding out if it was, in fact, the scientist's assistant. The whole matter intrigued him for some reason, _she_ intrigued him now, he wanted to learn more about her. He wanted to read more of her imaginings.

When he arrived at SHIELD that next day, he returned the flash drive to Jane Foster's office, setting it down on her assistant's desk. The night before, he had copied all of the files to his computer, just in case he should want to read them again. Foster was already working when he slipped through the door without knocking, tapping steadily at the keyboard, and she took no notice of his presence in the room. Whether she was merely too deeply engrossed in work or was deliberately ignoring him, he couldn't tell. He thought about testing it by startling her in the way that she hated, but he thought better of it. He had more important pursuits.

By chance, later that day, Loki happened to spot Foster's assistant again in the hallway; she was crawling around on the floor, cursing and muttering, trying to gather together the stack of paper that she'd dropped. Clumsy little thing. He hadn't been there to catch her this time. He paused in front of her, amused, but Loki couldn't help but notice that she was dressed 'differently' again, and the angle that she was bent over at provided him with a decent view of her ample assets. She caught sight of him, eyes trailing up along his body until they met his and she seemed nervous again; when he took her hand he felt her pulse speed up. There was something oddly satisfying about that sensation, which he assumed was caused by fear. Fear laced with something else that he couldn't name.

* * *

Once she had deposited the reorganised stack of files at their intended destination, Darcy hurried back to her work station. Once she got there, she saw a note on Jane's desk. _Had to run out. Back in a few. Text me if there's any noteworthy changes. P.S. That means PAY ATTENTION, Darce!_

'Jeez, alright, _Mom_ ,' Darcy grumbled with a roll of her eyes as she plunked herself down at her desk. She did have a slight habit of daydreaming, but today she would be attentive. Anything to keep her mind from wandering to her latest encounter with Loki. Did he know? Had he read her stories? Nothing about his demeanour had really indicated so, he'd just asked her name. Maybe Jane was right, maybe she was making a big deal about nothing. Maybe-no, she wasn't supposed to be thinking about this at all, Darcy chastised herself. Focus. Screens. Watch for noteworthy changes. Ugh, but it was so boring! It was like looking at ten different haystacks and waiting to glimpse a needle somewhere in any of them.

Jane received data from several different observatories all over the world so that she could do comparative analyses and watch for anomalous events. Among these were a series of radio telescopes in New Mexico. It happened to be this array that Darcy was watching at the moment. At first, everything looked much the way it always did.

Until, suddenly, the screen showed the detection of an enormous signal spike, something that she'd never seen before. One spike, and then a few moments later, another. This went on for three different intervals, then stopped. Granted, Darcy didn't know nearly as much as Jane about radio astronomy, but she'd been taught how to monitor the different frequencies, how to tell what was normal and what wasn't. And this _definitely_ wasn't. With shaking hands, Darcy printed out the data. It was, she supposed, much like the famous 'Wow!' signal, though instead of 'wow' she wrote 'holy fucking shit!' on the printout, then took a picture of it and sent it to Jane, whose reply was similarly colorful. The scientist hurried back immediately, and the rest of the day was very busy. And thankfully distracting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! I can't believe I managed to update this quickly, man I'm on a roll! This story is just so fun to write, I can't help myself. It's been a long time since I wrote anything on the lighter side. Let me know what you think! Oh, and in terms of the timeline for this story, it takes place after Thor and The Avengers, but we'll just pretend that Thor 2 didn't happen this time, kay? :)**

* * *

When Darcy arrived at work the next morning, Jane was frowning deeply; in fact, she had her most massive bitchface on. Hmm, something must have happened. Darcy hadn't seen that look since Agent Coulson tried to take all of her equipment. ''What is it?'' she asked.

''I have to go to New Mexico,'' the astrophysicist replied. ''They want me to go to the observatory and check things out on their end, just to be sure that it wasn't some kind of a fluke.''

''I'll get my sunblock,'' Darcy said with a roll of her eyes. Secretly, though, she was pleased. A little change of scenery might clear her head. Jane looked up at her. ''You're not coming, not this time.''

''What do you mean? I _always_ go!''

Jane shrugged. ''I know. I guess they want you to stay here and help with the research or something, since you're the one who detected the signal.''

''But that was just by accident!'' Darcy protested. ''You know I don't know anything about this stuff!''

''I tried to talk them out of it, believe me,'' the scientist said wearily. ''My hands are tied. I have to leave in less than an hour.''

Much to Darcy's outrage, she soon found that not only was she _not_ going to accompany Jane to New Mexico, but she was also going to be temporarily reassigned to someone else while Dr. Foster was away. About a half an hour after Jane left, while she was sitting at her desk wondering what in the hell to do now, none other than Natasha Romanov herself came downstairs to supply her with a new keycard and explain her reassignment. ''This is just for a little while, naturally, but I think it could be a great opportunity for you,'' the redhead told her.

''Why _me_?'' It seemed a more than appropriate question.

''Well, to be honest we're a little short handed at the moment and the work-load has increased with this unfolding situation,'' Natasha answered. ''You're not exactly a novice at this sort of thing, you were present for several large events over the last few years and handled yourself well under pressure. You've been working with Jane Foster for a long time and have proven to be more than competent in dealing with these abstract concepts. And you were the one who first discovered the signal and brought it to our attention.''

She wanted to protest again that she'd simply been in the right place at the right time, but remained silent, managing only a nod. ''Now, get your things packed up and ready to go,'' instructed Natasha in a brisk tone. ''I'll be back in ten minutes to escort you upstairs.''

 _Upstairs_. With all the important people. With _him_. Darcy tried not to hyperventilate. She grabbed the misting bottle filled with water that she used for her one sad desk plant and sprayed herself in the face. The redhead gave her a strange look, then turned and walked away.

* * *

The assassin was nothing if not precise. Exactly ten minutes later she reappeared just as Darcy was tossing the last of her folders and her candy jar into the cardboard box that she then hoisted into her arms. She staggered a little under it's weight. ''Would you like some help with that?'' Natasha offered politely.

''No, thank you,'' she grunted, ''I'm sure I can manage.''

The Black Widow nodded and led her onto the elevator. They went up several floors until the doors opened. It looked very different up here, Darcy noticed, much more futuristic and high-tec. It was everything that a secret government branch was supposed to be. ''Who am I going to be working with?'' she asked.

Rather than answering the question directly, Natasha said, ''Like I told you, we're a bit understaffed at the moment. Dr. Banner is away for the next few weeks on another project and Stark...well, he does what he wants. So with Dr. Foster in New Mexico, we have only one other person as the primary on this for the time being. He's the only one right now who has the necessary knowledge. Unfortunately.''

''Why _unfortunately_? What's unfortunate?'' Darcy was growing very wary.

''You may have heard some things about him, but I assure you, he's quite safe. A little challenged personality-wise, maybe, but I'm sure that working with physicists you're used to eccentricity.''

Darcy prayed that this wasn't heading where she suspected it was.

''And here is your new workspace,'' said Natasha, opening the door to a large room. Seated at one of the desks inside was a very familiar figure. Her heart seized in her chest as her suspicions were confirmed. ''Don't worry,'' the assassin whispered, ''he won't bother you, he mostly keeps to himself. He might ask you for some data here or there or give you something to transcribe. If he gives you any trouble, just tell me and I'll set him straight.''

''Um...ok,'' she whispered. Natasha patted her on the shoulder. ''You'll be fine. This could be a great opportunity for you,'' she reiterated. Then she was gone without another word. Drawing in a very deep breath, Darcy quietly walked across to one of the abandoned work stations and set down the box that she was holding. She cast a quick sideways glance at Loki, but he was looking straight ahead at the screen in front of him, not paying her any mind, it seemed. With slightly trembling hands that she forced to steady, Darcy went about unpacking her things and setting them up at her new desk. She noticed that there were a few other dried-out looking plants on one of the shelves. Hers looked positively healthy compared to them.

''You might want to water those plants,'' came Loki's deep voice, suddenly. She whirled around at the sound and found that he was looking at her now.''The previous occupant was quite neglectful of them. A shame, too. Lovely things. African _violets_ , I believe.'' Darcy stopped breathing for just a moment. _It's a coincidence, you asshat_ , she told herself. The dying plants were indeed African violets, very common. ''I'll be sure to do that,'' she said once she could find her voice.

''I don't care for this office, myself,'' he added, glancing around with disdain. ''But mine is too small for a second desk.''

''Ok,'' Darcy said, trying not to stammer. ''It's..it's ok, it'll work for the time being.''

Loki nodded curtly and turned back to the computer. He tapped at the keyboard in silence for a few more minutes, then closed the files on the screen and swivelled around in the chair to eye her as she sat there looking quite lost.

''What, um...what would you like me to do?'' she asked. His raised his eyebrow at her. ''I...I really don't know what's even going on, so I'm not sure how I can help.''

''They didn't explain it to you? Oh, I don't even know why I'm asking, _naturally_ they didn't.'' Loki cracked his knuckles and leaned back in his chair, his penetrating green gaze fixed completely on her as he began. ''For the last few weeks, as you may have noticed, there's been some commotion around here because of frequency anomalies that have been detected from deep space, they gather in clusters and then disappear. Then they reappear, in different positions but in what seem to be building intervals.''

''So they're travelling?'' said Darcy. He nodded. ''And getting closer to Mi—to _Earth_ all the time. However, they're very unpredictable, and what we can't seem to figure out is how these large and seeming impossible jumps are occurring. The signal that you reported the other day was the latest one, and, if calculations are correct, the closest. It's the largest distance jump that's been made so far.''

''Do we know what's creating it?''

''Obviously _not_ ,'' he replied. ''That's what's got everyone in such a state. And that's apparently what you and I need to try to ascertain.''

That sounded like a pretty tall order, and they both seemed an unlikely choice. ''Why do they have you working on this project?'' Darcy wondered. ''I mean, aside from being understaffed. You're not a physicist, or an astronomer or anything.'' Then she winced at how badly that had come out.

Surprisingly, Loki didn't seem overly offended by this doubting of his credentials. ''Neither are _you_ ,'' he told her pointedly, with the barest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. ''I am working on it because I know a good deal more about 'physics' than these people, who claim to be so knowledgable. I suspect that you do as well.''

''Me?''

''From what I understand, you've seen quite a few things,'' was all he said before he turned away again and the conversation ended.

* * *

Opportunity was something very important to Loki. He tried to seize it whenever it came his way. And often, during times of confusion and chaos, there was a good deal of opportunity, if one was willing to look for it. Later the previous afternoon, just as he was about to leave for the day, there came a great flurry of activity. Soon, a printout of a large signal spike detected in New Mexico was slapped onto his desk. He noticed that the words 'holy fucking shit!' had been scrawled on the page in large, bold lettering. It was the latest appearance of a rather disturbing trend that they had been trying to follow for the past few weeks, but to no avail. Leastways, SHIELD found it disturbing. Loki didn't, necessarily, he hadn't seen enough concrete information to indicate than anything overtly threatening was going on. But now...this was interesting. The signal was closer now than ever before. Still, he wasn't worried. He knew enough about interdimensional travel to know that anything that could be a true threat to the Earth didn't leave warning signs like this. It was intriguing, though. In more ways than one.

''Who found this?'' he asked, holding up the paper, knowing that it had originated in the astrophysics department. ''To whom does this...inventive phrasing belong?''

''Foster's assistant, Darcy Lewis,'' Natasha Romanov answered. ''Foster was away and she was monitoring all the incoming data.''

''Ah.'' He had guessed correctly. And now he definitely saw an opportunity arising.

''We were thinking of sending the both of them to New Mexico, to the observatory, see what the scientists there have to offer,'' the Black Widow added.

That wouldn't do at all. If they sent her away he wouldn't be able to learn more about her, to discern for certain if she was absolutely the writer, and if so to possibly find a way of reading more of her writing. In short, he would be bored to tears. ''If you send the both of them, there will be noone here to receive and compile data on this end,'' Loki offered, in what he hoped was a disinterested sort of way. ''Surely it would be better to leave the girl here. It would be less distracting if she and Foster were separated, they might get better work done that way.''

He could see Natasha considering this, turning it over in her mind. Then, to his great surprise and delight, she nodded. ''You might be right. We've got a skeleton crew as it is, and you're going to be doing a lot of this by yourself...'' she was thinking again. ''Look, I know that you're...a bit of a loner but with the work load so increased...I think maybe if we send Foster to New Mexico, we could bring Darcy up here, at least temporarily, let her handle some of the lesser stuff so that you can focus on the larger issues.''

Loki pretended to be put-out by this suggestion. ''She'll just get in the way.''

''She's very professional,'' Natasha assured him. ''All of her performance reviews were near-perfect. She's also much more intelligent than she lets on. I'm sure she could be a big help.''

He sighed and rolled his eyes for good measure as he 'relented'. ''Fine, if you insist.''

''I do.''

''Naturally.''

As she walked away, a smile spread across his face.

* * *

Darcy looked at the clock and saw that it was already three-thirty. Time had certainly flown. Well, she suspected that it did that when you were actually concentrating. She was so at a loss as to what to say to Loki, or if to say anything at all, really, that she had thrown herself headlong into work. But now, she had her customary caffeine-withdrawal headache. ''I'm, ah, going to get coffee,'' she said, standing up. He looked over at her. ''Do you want any?'' she asked.

''No,'' he replied. ''I don't like the taste.''

She had to stifle a laugh at that, the differences between Loki and his brother. Thor had absolutely loved the stuff. She couldn't help but recall his 'another!' as he slammed the cup on the floor.

''What's funny?'' he asked. ''Nothing!'' she replied quickly, and darted out of the room. Darcy decided to splurge, since she was under so much additional emotional strain, and went out for actual coffee, not the machine crap. She returned with a triple white chocolate mocha, still musing over the fact that Loki didn't like coffee. She would have assumed that he did, and drank it absolutely black, the stronger the better. He just seemed like that kind of guy. In fact, he seemed to her as though if she licked his skin he might taste deliciously bitter, like espresso. Good god, where had _that_ thought come from? Darcy's irksome, smutty imagination was once again demanding her attention, poking at her, reminding her that she hadn't been able to write the previous evening. _All right_ , she told herself. _When I get home tonight, I'll write a page or two. At least then maybe I'll get some decent sleep_. Somehow, though, she doubted this.

Darcy stepped off the elevator and looked around, realizing that she'd gotten off on the wrong floor. So much for her powers of concentration. Oh well. Hopefully caffeine would help. When she finally got back to her new office, she couldn't help but notice that Loki looked a little tired. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. She wasn't surprised, he'd barely taken his eyes off the computer screen for hours. ''Hey,'' she said. She held out her drink towards him. ''Try a sip of this. It's got caffeine, but it doesn't really taste like coffee.''

He warily accepted the cup and took a sip. He swallowed and paused thoughtfully. ''It's not terrible,'' he finally said, handing it back.

''See, lots of different beverage options,'' Darcy told him with a smile, which he actually returned though only halfway. She sat down at her desk again, casting a quick glance over her shoulder. She watched him dart his tongue out and lick over his lip as if still trying to figure out if he liked the taste or not, then mentally slapped herself in the face as she realised that she was watching the motion a little too intently. _Down, girl!_ she ordered her runaway mind with a near violence. _'You do not have a crush on Loki, you do not! You are just fascinated by him because he's (unintentionally) helping you write your story. You like the character, not him. No- Violet likes the character. Yes, that's it, Violet likes Mr. Lamont, and so you are trying to understand her point of view to write her better and make the plot more believable. Yes, that's it. That's_ **definitely** _it.'_


	4. Chapter 4

_She found herself standing in the doorway of the large observatory, its huge telescope directly in the center of the room. She saw movement in the corner, saw that Mr. Lamont was already there. Through the darkness she could still see the disarming smile on his face as he approached her. ''Well, well, what have we here? Little Miss Violet can't seem to keep herself out of trouble, can she?'' Violet put her hands on her hips. ''I'd have far less trouble to contend with if you would simply leave me alone!''_

 _''Oh but dear Violet, where would be the fun in that? We have to stick together, you'll know. I'll bet that we can be quite of use to each other.''_

 _''Why should I think that?''_

 _''You know it, secretly.'' He drew her close to him with a restrained roughness. ''Or you wouldn't always be looking for me.''_

 _''I don't look for you!'' she insisted, her fingers digging into his shoulders. His teeth closed lightly around her earlobe and her knees weakened. ''You just...oh...you just show up everywhere! You're the one who's following me!''_

 _''Maybe we should just decided that it's fate, then?'' he whispered, pulling away to look her in the eyes, his fingers on her chin, tilting her face up towards him. Instead of kissing her as she expected, he said, in a low, curious tone, 'Watch the skies, darling. Something's coming.''_

Darcy woke up with a start and looked at the clock. It wasn't even five a.m. yet! She had at least an hour and a half before she had to get up. She shook her head and tried to clear it. That dream had been very real. Well, they were all real, and getting more so all the time, it seemed, but it had been so...tactile, she could still almost feel every sensation, every touch. She turned over in bed, sighing. Well, really, what did she expect? Her subconscious was probably working in overdrive after her reassignment the day before, which had been quite a shock to say the least. Being around Loki for nearly all of the day after only before seeing him in passing was apparently setting her imagination ablaze. After arriving home, she had very poured herself an enormous glass of wine and had wrote wildly for almost two hours-as if she were trying to purge something from her system. Apparently, though, it hadn't worked, as evidenced by this latest dream. But if she was being entirely honest with herself, (and Darcy bore a nagging suspicion that she hadn't been, recently) she was protesting a bit too much. There were worse things she could be dreaming about.

* * *

Working with Loki was easier than Darcy had expected, they were actually getting along quite well, despite the obvious tension on her end. More and more, as the day went on, she was able to convince herself that all her worries had been overblown and silly, that he hadn't read any of her stories at all, and obviously had better things to worry about. Once she had decided this, she was less anxious around him, but there was still those pesky lingering _feelings_ that, like the dreams, didn't seem to be going away. Darcy tried her best to ignore them. Everything had been quiet today so far, boring even. Hopefully the signal had been some kind of a weird...space burp of no consequence. Jane would be back in a few days and she'd be moved downstairs again and everything would go back to normal. She could finish her story and end this silliness, and then maybe take up knitting or scrapbooking or fantasy football as a new hobby.

''You know,'' Darcy remarked, pulling a fun-size Milky Way bar out of her candy jar and unwrapping it, ''this signal thingy is a lot like that movie _Contact.''_

''I didn't see that one,'' Loki replied, watching her take a large bite. She held the jar out to him. He shook his head and she shrugged. ''Your loss. You need to expand your palate. Anyhow, so, this astronomer detects a big signal that's coming from this star called Vega. And inside the signal is like a transmission of Hitler giving a speech, so they're like 'oh my god, space Nazis,' but really it's just because it was the first really strong transmission that got sent into space and they sent it back to us, but hidden inside is this weird blueprint for building like an interstellar transport device, so they build the thing but then some radical dude blows it up but then this rich bald guy-''

''Maybe,'' Loki said loudly, holding up his hands, cutting her off. She stopped, and he continued on in a milder tone, ''Maybe, rather than you narrating the entire plot to me, we could just _watch_ it.''

She grinned impishly. ''You mean like now?''

''Are you currently doing anything that's of great importance?''

''No, actually,'' she said. ''And you know, we _could_ say that this is for research purposes.''

''My thoughts exactly.''

So Darcy happily forked over the $2.99 to rent it from Amazon, and she and Loki spend the next two hours hard at work on 'research', watching the movie on her laptop.

''So,'' she said when it was over, ''any insights?''

He scowled. ''What utter rot.''

She scrunched up her face a little in agreement. ''Yeah, the ending kinda blows.''

''It was appalling drivel. I expected better. The first half was actually rather interesting.''

Darcy nodded. ''True. Hey, I've got a better one. We should watch _Independence Day_ next, it's much better. It starts out with a signal from space like that one did, but instead of wimping out and getting all philosophical there's like tons of explosions and chaos and Jeff Goldblum, you'll love it-''

''I'm sure I will,'' Loki quickly cut her off, ''but let's save that one for tomorrow, shall we? I expect it will be equally as uneventful as today.''

She smiled and opened her mouth to say something else when her computer screen showed an incoming video message.

''Oh, it's Jane in New Mexico! She mentioned that she'd be checking in.'' Darcy clicked at the screen. ''Hey!'' she said as her friend's face came into view. She seemed to be outside, the sky and the array of telescopes could be seen in the distance behind her. ''How goes it out in the desert?''

''Quiet,'' the scientist replied with a shake of her head. ''There's been no more recurrance of the signal, not so much as a twitch.'' She sighed.

''Did they check the last one for imbedded messages?''

''Darcy, I told you, that doesn't really happen.''

''It could! We might be missing something important!''

''I don't doubt that, but I'm sure its not imbedded messages. Now-'' Jane paused as she seemed to be looking at something over Darcy's shoulder. Or someone. ''Who is that?'' she demanded. ''Where are you? Is that _Loki?_ ''

Darcy saw him roll his eyes as he moved closer into view. ''Hello, Dr. Foster,'' he said, waving at her. She blatantly ignored him. ''What are you doing with Loki?''

''I was temporarily reassigned to help him with research while you're gone.''

Jane's face twitched and then she exploded into a tirade so fierce that Darcy found herself turning the speaker volume to nearly mute. When Jane appeared to be finished, she turned it back up. ''-of all the irresponsible moves they have made, this is the stupidest one...just wait until I get back there, I'll break my foot off in Fury's-''

''Ok, _not_ done,'' muttered Darcy, turning the volume down again. Suddenly, Dr. Foster was interrupted in her ranting by a smallish object that seemed to fall directly out of the sky and bounce off of her shoulder. It was soon followed by another, then more, until there was a steady shower of them.

Quickly turning the sound back up, Darcy leaned closer to the screen. ''Jane, what is that? What's going on?'' Even Loki seemed to be curious, he was now leaning over her shoulder to see the developing situation. Despite the inappropriateness of the timing, Darcy couldn't help but notice that he smelled very good. It was an exotic, mysterious scent, like incense in some foreign temple. She gave herself a mental pinch and returned to the matter at hand.

The scientist gave a little shriek, and the screen shook as she jumped out of the way of something. The tablet was tilted down at an angle that they could see...

''Frogs!'' Jane yelped. ''It's raining fucking _frogs_!'' It did indeed appear to be. As Darcy looked on, unsure of whether to be concerned or crack up laughing, more and more of the amphibians tumbled from the sky. Jane had started running now. ''I gotta go, I'll call you back!'' And then the connection cut out in mid-shriek.

''She really hates frogs,'' Darcy explained. ''And snakes. And _turtles_ , interestingly enough. But mostly frogs.'' She thought for a moment. ''We should probably call the National Weather Service.''

She now saw that Loki was practically doubled over with laughter. It was a near-astonishing sight, almost as uncommon as frog-rain, she'd never seen him actually laughing before. She couldn't help but notice that it was a rather pleasing sight. He had a nice laugh, too.

''Hey, it's not funny...well, ok, it is kinda funny but-'' then she paused. ''You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?''

He laughed even harder at the suggestion. ''No,'' he managed. ''But I wish I had—the look on her face!''

Much as Darcy hated to be amused at her best friend's expense, the expression on Jane's face _had_ been priceless.

* * *

She was not disappointing, Loki mused to himself about Darcy Lewis. Some of the nervousness that she had displayed in his presence before was going away, and she was acting far more at ease. He wondered what she had heard about him, someone must have told her awful things, probably Foster. Even if they were true, she'd probably just been scared unnecessarily; he had hardly any of his abilities anymore, none of the major ones, anyhow, but he still had his intelligence, and his wit, and a few of his naturally more evolved senses. No, she didn't seem quite as anxious, but there was still _something_ , something deliciously intriguing that he couldn't quite place. It glimmered in her eyes, sometimes, like a spark, like a heat hiding under her skin. Yes, he had made the right decision: she was definitely worth a closer look.

Darcy spun in her chair after hanging up the phone. ''So, I called the National Weather Service and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration—god, try saying that one three times fast—and nobody could tell me anything. They are as confused as we are about the whole frognado situation.''

''It wasn't really a frognado,'' he replied. ''It was more of a steady rain, I would say.''

''Yeah, but this sounds better. It's more _relevant_.''

''I see.''

She sat thoughtfully for a moment. ''I wonder if anything else weird is going to happen?''

Loki scoffed. ''Like what? A plague of locusts, perhaps?''

''I don't know...it just...seems...ominous, somehow.''

''Strange weather—and that's all this was-isn't necessarily indicative of anything.''

''Maybe not, but-'' As Darcy was completing that thought, there came a loud tap against the window. ''What the hell...'' Now followed a loud clattering from outside as what sounded like thousands of tiny rocks plummeted down upon the city. One car alarm began to screech, then another. ''Is that hail?'' she wondered, moving closer to look out. Loki put a hand on her arm, pulling her back. ''It's not hail. Come away from the window.''

''These windows are like triple reinforced,'' she protested. ''Still,'' he told her, though he quickly let go of her. This phenomenon lasted for a few more seconds, then stopped abruptly. The sound of sirens followed soon after. ''What _was_ that?'' Darcy asked, paling a little. He ran to the computer. ''That,'' he said, ''was a small meteor shower.''

''Here?'' she said with disbelief. ''In the middle of the day?''

''Well they can happen any time, they're just not usually this visible.'' He frowned and tapped at a few keys. ''Nothing,'' he said. ''It didn't register at all. Not even a twitch.''

''What do you mean, it didn't register!? We just saw like a gazillion meteorites hit the city!''

''Of course we did, but it's not showing on any of the equipment. There isn't any evidence that it actually happened.''

''What about all the freaking space rocks scattered all over the ground!'' Darcy looked down at the street, where traffic was gridlocked, more than a few fender-benders had occurred, small fires were being put out, and people were very, very angry. ''What about all _that_?''

''You're misunderstanding me, calm down for a moment and listen!'' Loki gripped her by the shoulders and then once again swiftly pulled away, saying in a calmer tone, ''Of course there is physical evidence. Obviously. However, you know that part of your job, and mine, and Foster's, is to watch for signs in order to detect things like this _before_ they happen. And normally, when there is a meteor shower, or a rain of frogs or some such things, it is detectable. It leaves behind some sort of trail, showing that it was there. It registers on all this equipment that they pay an inordinate amount of money for. And now, I'm telling you, that it might not be working anymore. We might not have a way of seeing what's coming.''

* * *

Thankfully, though there were several injuries and a small to moderate bit of damage to some cars and buildings from the impromptu meteor shower, there were no casualties and, while admittedly very strange, the situation seemed to be no real cause for alarm. Darcy herself had been a little shaken up at first, but Loki seemed very calm and unperturbed. He did most of the talking when they were summoned to Nick Fury's office, explaining most of the lack of detection away as a possible widespread equipment malfunction, probably a networking error. Darcy had to hand it to him, he was an excellent bullshitter, a regular Billy Flynn. Though the Director scowled quite a lot, he seemed mildly appeased by the time that the conversation was over. However, he did say, ''If what you're saying is true, then you had better figure out a solution and fast, or I will personally kick your ass all the way back to Asgard and let your father deal with you. I'm sure he won't be pleased to hear that you almost let the Earth get destroyed again.''

''That was a little harsh,'' said Darcy, once they had been dismissed and were walking back down the hallway. ''I mean, it's not your fault. You're trying your best.''

''I know it's not my fault,'' he said crossly. ''I'm just the one that's around to blame.''

Darcy was quiet for a minute, then she sighed. ''I wish we could have gotten the frognado instead.''

Loki's expression lightened a little. Then his phone rang. She looked on in interest as he answered it. He rarely got calls. ''Yes...yes I do...'' his eyebrows went up. ''Are you _serious_?'' As he registered what the voice on the other end was telling him, wheels were spinning in his head. With every crisis, he thought, with a glance over at her, there came an opportunity. ''Well, when...that long...oh, fine,'' and then he hung up on the person rather abruptly.

''What is it?'' Darcy asked, concerned. ''Is everything ok?''

''Apparently there was some significant damage to my flat during the...'' he nodded at the window. ''And because everyone is so very competent, they can't tell me exactly when I will be able to return.''

''Oh, shit. Well...'' She knew that she shouldn't be thinking what she was thinking, shouldn't be considering it, but what kind of decent person would she be if she didn't _offer_? The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. ''Would you like to stay with me at my place? Just for a night or two, until you can find something else?''

''I couldn't possibly inconvenience you like that,'' Loki said, knowing that she would insist.

''It's not an inconvenience at all. My place is plenty big enough, and that way we can get more work done and figure out what's _really_ going on. So you don't get your ass kicked back to Asgard.'' She offered him a small grin.

Loki grinned back at her, and once again Darcy wondered what she had gotten herself into.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey again, everyone! I'm so glad that you are all liking this story! Thank you for all of the reviews and follows! Here is the next chapter; I really had a good time writing it. Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

With slight butterflies in her stomach that she tried to will away, Darcy unlocked the door to her apartment after work that day and let them both inside. She gave Loki a tour of the modest little place, it was nothing fancy but at least she had decorated it nicely, and he was polite enough to say so. ''Is this your room?'' he asked, walking a few steps ahead of her down the hallway towards a slightly open door. ''Yeah,'' she answered, quickly following after him, thankful that she had cleaned up and didn't have any underwear and socks scattered all over the floor the way she usually did. He stood still once he entered the room, simply _looking_ , studying the space as if he were trying to figure something out. He didn't seem inclined to go anywhere else at the moment, and so Darcy helplessly decided that it couldn't hurt to leave him where he was.

''Just don't _touch_ anything,'' she told him. ''I'm going to go and fix up the couch for you.'' Once she departed, Loki sat down on the bed and immediately there came a strange buzzing from beneath the folds of the blanket. Curious, he reached under and pulled out a rather large phallic shaped object that was vibrating rather urgently. He smirked and shut it off, stuffing it back under the covers, not wanting to mortify her any further. Darcy was obviously lonely and frustrated, that much was easy to tell, between the sex toy and the large shelves full of romance novels that stood against the wall. He got up and took a closer look at them, pulling a few titles down for inspection. What was the fascination with vampires and werewolves and other strange creatures? Shapeshifting was never seen as a particularly erotic trait where he came from.

''Do you find monsters sexually appealing?'' he asked as he heard Darcy reenter the room. She swallowed hard when she saw the book in his hands, seeming a little uncomfortable now. ''Er, what?''

He gave her an impatient look. ''Do you,'' he said very slowly, ''find monsters to be sexually appealing? I rather think you might, considering all of this...literature.''

Annoyance flickered through Darcy, along with embarrassment. He had expressly ignored her request to not touch anything, but she supposed that she had been the one stupid enough to leave the god of mischief alone in her bedroom. Still, though Darcy didn't know exactly why, she decided to be honest in regard to the question at hand. ''Yes and no,'' she answered. ''I mean, it's a pretty common fantasy. A man with a beast inside of him. There's something sexy about that, the wildness, the indulging in the baser impulses. Some women find the thought of it exciting, that raw animal nature.'' Her face was getting just a little red now.

'' _You_ find it exciting?'' he wondered.

''Yes, but only as a fantasy,'' she said, walking over and plucking the book out of his grip, setting it back on the shelf. ''Some things are just meant to be fiction. _Imagination,_ '' she said firmly.

Then, to Darcy's great horror, at that moment something fell out from behind the bed, a long, thin instrument. Loki moved and picked it up before she could stop him. It was the riding crop that she'd bought online one night after far too much wine. She'd been reading a lot of BDSM themed stories at the time and it seemed like something that would be good to have. Just in case a situation should arise. Sadly, one never did.

This must have struck some sort of a nerve, Loki realised, studying her face. Darcy balked when she saw him holding it, he whipped it through the air and brought it down hard against his palm, it made a whooshing sound as went, and then a delightful 'crack' as it met the skin. He saw a shiver pass through her body. Interesting. ''Are you an equestrian?'' He asked politely.

''Ah, no, that's...just something I've had lying around for awhile, I've never really used it. '' Her face was changing colour again.

''Hmm, pity,'' he said, inspecting the riding crop again before handing it back to her. ''Looks well-made. Would be a shame to let it sit idle.'' Then he brushed past her and walked out of the room.

 _'This_ ,' Darcy thought to herself as she tucked it back behind the bed, ' _may have been a mistake.'_

* * *

 _Lamont tilted Violet back so that she was laying on the bench beneath the telescope. ''Look at the sky,'' he instructed her. ''Why-'' she began, feeling a bit apprehensive, wondering what he was going to do. ''Just look,'' he insisted, and with a sigh she adjusted herself so that she could peer through the lens. She had to admit, it was an awe-inspiring sight. She'd never seen the stars this closely before. While she was staring, he slipped his hand up under her dress. Violet immediately stirred and looked down at him. ''What are you-''_

 _''Keep looking. Pay no mind to me, keep your eyes on the sky,'' he told her firmly, and, with some difficulty, she returned her eyes to the heavens. His hand crept up higher, skilfully finding its way beneath the fabric of her underclothes, where he stroked her softly for a moment. Her breath hitched in her throat but she kept her promise and did not look away. He then managed, in what seemed like only seconds, to remove the garments entirely, leaving her bare to him. Apprehension went weaving through her blood, but it was laced with something else—a dark excitement, an anticipation of what would come next. She soon found out what that would be. Her eyelids fluttered closed for a moment and she lost sight of the stars as she felt his mouth on her. A small shockwave went through her body and Violet gasped. Her eyes opened again and she once again regarded the heavens while he continued to kiss her and lick her. He was much more gentle than she had expected, but along with the gentleness there came a restrained sort of intensity that left her shuddering. Her skin felt prickly, hot and cold at the same time as a marvellous storm began deep inside of her body, threatening to break her to pieces. She wasn't certain if she wanted to beg him to stop or to continue. Luckily, before she could decide, Violet caught a glimpse of something bright moving through the sky. It was large and bright. A shooting star? No...it seemed bigger than that, and wasn't moving quite as quickly. She continued to watch its trajectory as it blazed a path, and then even as she was mesmerized by the strange beauty of the object, a massive jolt of pleasure sent what felt like explosions of light through her blood and she found herself crying out..._

The next morning Darcy woke so abruptly that she almost fell out of bed. Rolling over the other way, she winced as she felt her vibrator jab into her back. It was already shaping up to be a _great_ morning, and she'd barely gotten her eyes open yet. Her whole body was in a state, the dream had left her aroused beyond belief, she slid a hand down and felt that she was absolutely drenched. Oh, this was all very _bad_ , she knew, especially when she remembered who was staying on the couch. Also, it was Saturday and they wouldn't be going in to the office to work, so she was stuck in close quarters with him for the whole day. ' _You only have yourself to blame_ ,' chided the voice in her head.

Darcy picked up the vibe and thought about it for half a second and then shook her head. There was no way in hell that she was going to do _that_ with him in the other room. She was sure that he had some sort of highly advanced god-hearing. And he probably already thought that she was a sex-starved maniac after seeing her bookshelves and her riding crop the day before. She took a few deep, solid breaths in order to calm herself. A shower, that was what she needed. A nice, cold shower. Throwing a robe around herself she stepped out into the hallway, hoping that maybe he had decided to sleep in and she wouldn't have to face him yet at all.

No such luck. ''Good morning,'' Loki greeted her almost immediately. He was standing in the hallway, leaning casually against the wall, looking far too good in all black. Darcy supposed this was his weekend look. His hair was softer, a strand of it fell against his face and her fingers itched to reach out and brush it back.

''Hey,'' she said, waving a little rather stupidly as she hurried across the hall. ''Hey. Did you sleep good? I hope so. I did. Very soundly. I'm just going to take a quick shower and then I'll be out and we can get started. On research. But we'll get some coffee first...you don't like coffee, though...oh, we'll get you something else...how about chai, you might like chai...but first shower,'' and then once she was safely in the bathroom she shut the door behind her and mentally punched herself in the face.

* * *

 _Well_ , Loki thought, _that was interesting_. He wondered what Darcy had been dreaming about, to make her wake in such an aroused state. Her skin had been flushed, her pupils dilated, her scent had changed to something darker and headier, thickly sweet and heated. If he was being honest, which he rarely was, it had been rather intoxicating to see her like that. Whatever was going on in that delicious little mind of hers? Now he absolutely had to know. Seeing her room yesterday had only piqued his interest further. Listening for the steady running of water in the shower, he quickly slid over to where she had stored her personal laptop. He opened it and went into her documents folder, hoping that she hadn't locked it. Not that it would have stopped him if she had, it would have simply taken longer and he wanted to be swift about this. No, she hadn't. Darcy wasn't much for discretion, it seemed.

There they were, Loki saw, 'chapter one, chapter two'...he clicked on one just to be _absolutely_ certain and, sure enough, the familiar story appeared before him, dispelling any lingering shred of doubt that she was the mystery writer. Just as he'd hoped, she had written more, several chapters more in fact. She must have been busy the past few days, the updates were fairly recent. Loki pulled a flash drive out of his pocket and quickly copied the files to it so that he would have them to read later. Then he closed everything and put the laptop away and was sitting on the couch flipping through her Netflix queue as if nothing had happened when Darcy finally emerged.

''You certainly have eclectic tastes,'' he told her as he perused her selections. ''I like lots of different genres,'' she said evenly as she took a seat beside him, dressed in jeans and a maroon coloured top that sadly wasn't quite as revealing as some of the things she'd been wearing recently but still hugged her curves in a not-unappealing way. Now she smelled like floral soap and shampoo, but that heat still lingered and simmered beneath it all and the combination was very, very pleasant, he noticed.

''So, where should we start?'' Darcy wondered.

''With...?''

''Research, obviously. I think that we should probably put together a possible list of things that could have caused the crazy stuff that happened yesterday.''

''Alright. What are some of your ideas?''

''Well, I wrote a couple of them down last night,'' she said, grabbing her notepad off of the coffee table. ''Number one is obviously aliens.'' Loki gave her a sideways look at this suggestion. ''I don't care what you say,'' Darcy told him, ''it's staying on there, because it's the most likely scenario. Two: the core of the earth has stopped spinning.''

''I rather think not,'' he told her, confusion etched in his features. ''Why would you even suggest...''

''It's another movie, _really_ bad, we'll watch that one too. Three: the North Atlantic current has shifted.''

''How would that even be relevant?'' he demanded. ''Where are you getting this nonsense from?''

''Four...'' she ignored him as she thought about it. ''I'm just going to say aliens again.''

Loki sighed heavily. ''Or...or...it is none of those things. Maybe some sort of electromagnetic pulse briefly knocked out the equipment while these phenomena were occurring, and that was why they failed to register.''

''An electromagnetic pulse that didn't fuck up anything else at all?'' Darcy raised an eyebrow at him. '' _Please_. Give me a little more credit.''

''Maybe it was a very selective pulse, aimed only at those particular things.''

''Selected by whom and for what purpose. See, now you're starting to support my whole alien theory.''

''No, I'm _not_. It may have been an attack, but not necessarily from...outer space beings.''

''But that's where the signal came from!'' she protested, shifting in agitation. ''From _outer space_!''

''We don't even know that what happened yesterday is at all related to the signal that was detected,'' he said calmly. ''They could be two entirely separate things.''

''Come on. That's _too_ much of a coincidence. Signal moves closer and closer each time it pops up and then it's closer than ever and all of a sudden weird shit starts to happen.'' Darcy looked at him very intently, then said, in her creepiest possible voice, ''they're _he-re_.''

Loki sighed and rubbed his forehead. ''I need a break.''

''Yeah, me too. Let's watch something. Maybe that will help us come up with ideas.''

* * *

Several hours later, after two trips to Starbucks, one large order of Thai food, a viewing of _Independence Day_ and almost half of the first season of _The X-Files,_ Loki decided, ''I don't believe in aliens.''

Darcy was now struggling to open a bottle of wine. ''You _are_ an alien,'' she told him pointedly.

''I most certainly am not!'' he sounded offended. ''I am from another world, true, but that's a completely different thing.''

''How is it different?''

He thought about it, then said, ''You all have these certain ideas in your minds as to what 'extra-terrestrials' look like, and how they behave. They're either some kind of hideous reptilian mutant with a thousand rows of teeth, or they're thin, eerie creatures with small narrow mouths and enormous eyes. They either want to abduct you and experiment on you or they want to harvest your planet and wipe you out or eat you or whatever.''

''Not so! Not so!'' Darcy cried emphatically, with such forcefulness that the cork finally came flying out of the wine bottle. ''What about the hybrids, or the shifters? They can look human when they want, but the true form lurks just beneath.''

Loki realized that he might have made a mistake with this line of conversation. She was coming a little too close to a sensitive topic that he didn't want to broach.

He decided to backtrack a little. ''Yes, well, what I mean is...I've been around for a long time, and I've seen quite a few things. And I believe that much of your common lore about such creatures is mostly something of a collective imagination with perhaps a small grain of truth. For example, many of the abduction stories reported are very similar to tales from long ago in your history about the faery peoples and so on. Also, nightmares, sleep paralysis, mental illness, or simply very creative minds all can play a role in these ideas and then before you know it, everyone assumes that they know all about what's up in the sky. Yes, beings from other worlds have visited yours over the centuries, and certain humans may have caught a glimpse of them and that's where the small bit of reality comes in. But it's been so completely obscured through time and retelling as to be almost irrelevant. So, do I believe in aliens the way that you Midgardians see them, no. I do not. They're a construct, they're something that you lot created. The truth, I'm sure-''

''Is out there,'' Darcy supplied.

''-Is either far more interesting _or_ far more mundane than anything you might concoct in your mind,'' he finished tiredly. ''Now give me some of that wine.''


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey loves! Sorry that updating took a little longer this time. I hope you like this chapter, please let me know!**

* * *

Getting drunk with Loki was probably not the best idea, Darcy knew, so she sipped very carefully at her glass of wine while they sat on the couch and continued to talk.

''Do you think that insects are secretly planning world domination?'' she asked, leaning her head back against the couch cushion.

Loki swirled the wine in his glass. ''No.''

''Sloths would be the most unlikely, though,'' Darcy went on. ''We'd never see it coming. All this time they've been watching us and plotting while they pretend to be the stoners of the animal kingdom, until one day they rise up and boom—planet of the sloths.''

''You have _quite_ the imagination,'' he said, looking at her face, suddenly interested in the way that the wine had stained her lips. It was a lush, inviting shade. She saw him looking, their eyes met and the gaze held tremulously, as if by a thread. Neither one of them dared to break it.

It was something about the way that Loki was staring at her now that gave Darcy pause. It was a surprisingly soft look, but filled with a kind of bottled intensity, like the look of intensity on his face when he was concentrating, the one that made his eyes look greener. Only now...he was concentrating solely on her.

Did he _like_ her? She wondered. It was beginning to seem so. But maybe it was a trick of the light. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe her imagination was getting carried away again. Regardless, Darcy was aware that she was starting to enjoy the way that he was looking at her far too much. It made her dare to entertain certain wild and fanciful thoughts and it was making her body hum and come alive with a mind of it's own, an irrational, dizzy mind that could only see the shade of his eyes, the planes of his face.

Loki was also not oblivious or immune to the strange electricity in the air, hovering between the two of them. Suddenly, he found Darcy very pretty. Beautiful, even, in an odd way, he might dare to say, though the sentiment took him aback, caught him unawares, snagging like a fish hook beneath his skin. The wine still made her lips look too lush and too full. _The light was playing tricks._ Yes, that was what it was.

''It's late,'' Darcy managed, breaking the spell. ''I should probably go to sleep.''

''Yes,'' he said, ''you probably should.'' He watched her get up slowly and walk to the bedroom, out of the corner of his eye he saw her turn and look back at him over her shoulder for just a second, before she disappeared and he heard the door shut.

Loki let out a breath as he took a moment to collect his thoughts. Then he plugged the flash drive into his work laptop and began to read, a little _too_ eagerly, he realised. The story was taking on some interesting shape now...there seemed to be a mystery that needed solving, and Violet and Mr. Lamont were at the center of it, on the same side though they didn't realize it. They'd both initially had different agendas and then met in the middle somehow. Sparks flew whenever they were together. Some of the things that Violet said, the way she behaved, definitely reminded him of Darcy. It made Loki wonder, his mind drifted back to the way Darcy had looked at him—he hadn't imagined that. He was beginning to think—no, that was a stupid thought. But he was perceptive, and pieces were starting to fall together. But what to do with the picture that they were forming? There was an odd, light feeling, something like hopefulness. No, he corrected himself— _opportunity_.

He was beginning to see, from the writing and from the things he had found in her room, that she had a wild side as well, one that he wouldn't mind getting to know more. She seemed to have particular tastes—the riding crop, for instance. He would have to do some further investigating on that front, acquire more...detailed information. His head swam a little. This was going to be fun.

Still, one weak alarm of warning clanged in Loki's head before fading away. Studying Darcy and perhaps teasing her a little out of boredom was one thing. _Seducing_ her was quite another, but this was the territory that he found himself fast approaching, at least in his mind, and it was a dangerous place. Dangerous, but... He let the thought fall away as he finished reading and then closed the documents and put the flash drive away. Then he stretched out on the couch, dark and sensual thoughts sliding through his mind, like wine swirling along the sides of a glass.

He must have still been in a fevered state while falling asleep, because Loki had a very interesting dream. The story must have been too fresh in his brain, because it formed the background, the scenery. He found himself in the large English manor, as she had described, with it's many rooms, rooms where Lamont and Violet always seemed to be running into each other. Looking down, he noticed that he was dressed in the clothing of the time, dark, elegant gentleman's clothes, like the sort that she had Mr. Lamont wearing. Loki saw movement up ahead and a tremor of delight ran through him, a smile curved his lips. There she was, Violet Delancey. But she looked exactly like Darcy. Wearing an old-fashioned Midgardian dress that he had to admit was quite fetching, particularly the way that it hugged and emphasized certain areas of her body. He decided, since it was just a dream, after all, that he could have a little fun, maybe ease some of his frustration.

He smiled, approached her. She saw him walk out of the shadows, her breath hitched. ''There you are,'' Loki said. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her down the hall until he found an open door that revealed a bedroom. She let out a faint noise of outraged protest, but still allowed him to push her inside. He closed the door. Violet was looking around now, breathing more heavily, not with fear but something else. He waved his hand in the air, pleased when the lamps on the wall suddenly illuminated. ''How did you do that?'' she asked, startled.

''It's a secret,'' he answered, moving closer to her, easily falling into the role of Mr. Lamont, deciding that his liked this dream very much, this game he was playing. ''You like secrets, don't you? That's why you're always creeping around, looking for something.''

She put her chin in the air stubbornly and didn't say anything. He recognized that face, it was one that Darcy made often. He chuckled.

''You've been a very naughty girl,'' he told her. ''Been thinking some wicked thoughts, I'm sure...harboring secret desires that you dare not speak aloud? Is that why you follow me? Is it because you want what only I can give you?'' He asked. She didn't say anything.

''Answer me, Violet,'' he said in a low voice.

''Yes,'' came her soft reply. '' _My lord_ ,'' she added, giving him a pointed, laser-sharp stare. A jolt of heat tore through him, made his cock throb. ''Good girl,'' he told her, putting his hand on her waist with firm possessiveness as he came to stand behind her. His fingers began to work at the ties at the back of her gown until it had fallen to the floor around her feet. Then he reached up and pulled her hair loose from its updo, letting it fall down in waves around her shoulders. He threaded his fingers through the strands and tugged, pulling her head back. She let out a little moan.

He buried his face in her neck, breathing her in, sucking and kissing at the sensitive skin there. ''You smell just like her,'' he whispered, turning Violet roughly around, his eyes raking over her. ''I wonder what she tastes like.'' The rest of her undergarments were removed so quickly that Loki was sure he heard the tearing of fabric, which only excited him more. ''Get up on the bed,'' he instructed, and 'Violet' complied, sitting still, watching with rapt attention as he removed his waistcoat and shirt. Her eyes were dark and her chest rose and fell rapidly with her breathing. He looked at the soft skin of her neck, the marks that he had made with his mouth. He'd make more. He'd make her scream for it, say ' _yes my lord, yes, yes, yes_...It was just a dream, after all.

* * *

Blinking and rather disoriented, it took Darcy a few moments after waking the next morning to remember exactly where she was. The familiar walls of her room greeted her, not the walls of the large bedroom in the estate from her story. She'd had yet another dream, _oh_ _and what a dream_. The things he had done to her—or, to Violet, she corrected. It had been enough to fuel fantasies until she was eighty. Yet it seemed...almost different this time. Realer and more tactile than ever. She could still feel him, smell him. _Him_. Mr. Lamont, or Loki? Darcy wasn't sure, anymore. Her body was reeling, skin tingling, aching between the legs, practically dripping with arousal. 'Get a hold of yourself,' she said, staring at the ceiling. 'You can do it. You can.'

Another cold shower, that was what she needed. Opening the door, she practically threw herself across the hall, yelling a quick 'good morning' in the direction of the living room, not even bothering to look at him. Darcy made the water as cold as was bearable, but even the icy spray felt sensually invigorating, exciting in its sting against her skin. It reminded her of the dream, the feeling of his hand against her bare ass, punishing her for being such a _naughty girl_. Groaning in frustration as the stimulation proved a bit too much she gave in and took care of herself, biting down hard on her lip when she came so that she wouldn't be heard above the rushing of the water.

* * *

After waking, Loki found himself in a similar state. He had hoped that the dream would get something out of his system, but it hadn't. In fact, it had only made him hungrier.

While Darcy was in the shower, he went into her room again. He stared down at her unmade bed, the rumpled linens, and felt a sudden strange urge. He lay down where the imprint of her body had been, put his head on the pillow and breathed in the smell of her, shampoo and heat and longing. Like flowers in the sun. He realized that he was being stupid and irrational, but she awoke not only curiosity but something deeply primitive within him that he couldn't name.

He got up and went back into the living room, trying to get her off of his mind, to not think of her in _that way_. Thankfully, they had work to focus on today. He soon heard her footsteps, looked up as Darcy sat down on the couch beside him, her hair still damp.

She'd climaxed, Loki knew, he just _knew_ , and this knowledge gave him a strange and heated feeling. She looked different, smelled different, there was a sweetness, an aura of relief and yet still frustration. What had _she_ been dreaming about, he wondered. What had she been thinking about when...

''I have a theory,'' Darcy began, determined to focus on their assignment. ''It's not a great theory, but it's a start. What if we can't detect anything because the signal is really some kind of special cloaking thing, one that makes objects or whatever disappear when you're looking for them.''

Loki was incredibly grateful for this shift, and snapped his attentions back to science. Science made him think of chilly Jane Foster. Jane Foster and his brother. Uck, now he was sufficiently turned off. Good. ''Or...maybe we're looking in the wrong place,'' he suggested.

''Or the wrong _time_ ,'' Darcy offered on a whim, thankful that this brainstorming was helping to take her mind off of...other things. ''They're _happening_ , just not now. They're confused.''

He nodded thoughtfully. It was a reach, but it was better than nothing. ''So...something created a gap of sorts in time?''

''Yes, or maybe one just occurred randomly, like a rip in fabric.''

Loki pondered this, then asked, ''Well, do you think that it will just close on it's own or get wider?''

She shrugged. ''Why are you asking me? You're the one with all the mad physics knowledge.''

''Well...your mind works in strange ways,'' he told her with a smile. ''I just wanted to know if you had any opinions.''

''Gee, thanks for that,'' she snorted.

''It was meant as a _compliment_. You might make connections that wouldn't have occurred to others.''

''Oh.'' Darcy sat in thought for a minute. ''If it does get wider...what will happen? I mean, so far things haven't been too devastating. Frog rain is pretty innocuous, if not annoying, but that meteor shower was definitely unsettling. The damage wasn't terrible, but it could have been worse. What if something...bigger comes falling through the gap?''

Noticing the look of concern on her face, Loki spoke calmly.''Let's try to narrow it down. We're dealing with atmospheric and space phenomena...you're so fond of making lists, make a list of everything and anything that we could potentially expect to see.''

''That's going to be a big list,'' she admitted. ''We're going to need some more coffee. And maybe booze, for later. Let's go out and get some stuff, it'll help me think.''

''Alright,'' he conceded.

* * *

They seemed more comfortable with each other now, it was more ordinary, what Darcy was beginning to think of as their typical banter. The tension was still there, but tucked away for the time being. Being outside helped, though she kept staring up at the sky as they walked, as if she expected something awful to come falling out of it at any moment. Which, really, she did.

''It's a beautiful day,'' Loki said, seeing her continuous upward glances. ''I'm sure we're perfectly safe right now.''

It was, in fact, a bit chilly and overcast, dark clouds bunched at the horizon, threatening a potential shower. Hopefully only of water. ''Beautiful, huh?'' she said. He nodded.

''Most people apply that term to bright, sunny days.''

''I'm not most people. And I don't care for bright, sunny days.''

''Yeah, you have to maintain that nice, pallid complexion you're rocking.''

Loki scowled at her. ''You wear it well,'' Darcy added, a teasing tone in her voice. ''I'll bet vampires would be uber jealous looking at you.''

''Shut it.''

''We can muss up your hair and get you some cool suits and a guitar and you could pass for Jack White.''

He made a face at this suggestion. ''I could _not_.''

Darcy nodded decisively. ''Yeah. That's the look we'll go for. I'll get you a hat and everything too, it'll be awesome.''

''Fine,'' Loki relented, deciding to play along. ''But then you have to wear that,'' he added, pointing at a store window that they were passing by. The display mannequin was wearing a long black dress with a very low cut, fitted bodice. ''Ok,'' Darcy said, taking the bait. ''And then we'll start a band. I'll play the tambourine.''

He rolled his eyes. ''You are mad.'' In response, she giggled and impulsively slid her arm through his. He let her keep it there as long as she would, which was only a few seconds. Then she seemed to think better of it and pulled away a little as they approached the coffee shop. A few minutes later they emerged, drinks in hand, and walked back down the street. Loki watched the people that they passed, the busy oblivious people with their phones and their lives. Blissfully ignorant to the universe and all its designs. He took a sip of his drink- 'chai' Darcy had called it—some kind of spiced tea mixed with hot milk. She had thought that he might like it, and he decided that he actually did. The taste was different, exotic. Not boring at all. No, he thought as he stole a glance over at her. Not boring. A brief shudder of arousal went through him as he flashed back to his dream, and he forced it away.

They walked past a shop full of used books, and she grabbed his arm again and dragged him inside. He watched her carefully to see what she would choose. Normally, Darcy would have made a beeline for the romance novels, but not with him there. Instead, she perused the nonfiction sections until she came across _The Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials_ and a book on space phenomena. ''These should help,'' she said with an approving nod.

He snorted. ''Oh yes, they'll be indispensable.''

''Shuddup,'' she said, approaching the counter with her selections. As she paid, Loki looked around the shop. How suddenly ordinary he felt, he realized, watching a couple at the opposite end of the store. The woman was showing her companion the stack of books that she had selected and he was good-naturedly rolling his eyes.

They were both quiet as they returned to her apartment. The temporary distraction of being outside was over. Rain began to tap against the windows now, and once again a tension threaded through the air like a cloud of incense. Darcy tried to draw her attentions back to work, but now, hours later, her earlier ideas seemed dumb. They were wasting time, she realised with a sigh. They had a few abstract theories, none of them really useful, and they were no closer to understanding what the hell was going on. Normally, Darcy knew, this would not have bothered her so much. Because normally, she would have very little to do with it. The experts would be doing the majority of the thinking, and she would be in the support role, as the sidekick. Now, she was suddenly given a big task, or at least part of a big task, and she didn't want to botch it. Also, she didn't want to think too much about whatever was happening between her and Loki.

''So for right now I guess we're sticking with a hole in time?'' she said, thumbing through one of the books she had bought, trying not to feel defeated.

''It's definitely a thought,'' he answered. ''I think that what you said earlier had some merit...about things that disappear when you're looking for them, or right at them.''

''You've been checking all the incoming data still, right?''

''Yes. All day. Once again, nothing unusual. And no recurrence of that signal, either.'' He reached onto the shelf for the bottle of wine and two glasses. Darcy watched warily as he poured it. ''Hey, go easy on that stuff, it's expensive.''

Loki sneered at the bottle. ''No, it isn't.''

''Well, maybe not to a _god_ , but to a lowly research assistant, this is the good shit. And by good, I mean it doesn't come out of a box.'' She crossed her arms. He liked that stubborn, pouty thing that her lips did.

''I'll get you more,'' he offered, in a strange fit of sincere generosity. ''Much better, too.''

Darcy looked doubtful, but she accepted the glass that he held out to her. His fingers brushed against hers and an involuntary tremor ghosted through her. She took a large sip. Loki seemed suddenly fixated on her mouth, if she wasn't mistaken he moved just a little closer. Her heart gave an unsteady thud.

The sudden urgent ringing of his phone sliced through the air, startling her so much that she jumped a little. ''SHIELD,'' he muttered, blinking and running a hand over his face. Loki had deliberately selected the most annoying ringtone, so that he would know to ignore the call. But he didn't want to get Darcy into trouble, so he crossed the room and retrieved his cell from the coffee table and answered it with an abrupt, ''What is it?''

Taking a sip of wine, Darcy watched as irritation and just possibly the faintest hint of concern crossed his face. ''Yes, I see. Fine. Fine. Yes, we'll be there.'' She gave him a curious look as he ended the call. ''Well?''

''We have to go in,'' he said, expression stony. ''Apparently an object-they think that it's a satellite-crashed somewhere in England.''

''Oh shit. But everything was so...''

''Quiet,'' he finished. ''Exactly the problem.''


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey loves! Thank you for all of the faves and follows! Here's the next chapter, I think that you'll like it ;) Let me know!**

* * *

 _Wild nights-Wild nights!_

 _Were I with thee_

 _Wild nights should be_

 _Our luxury!_

 **-Emily Dickinson**

Darcy didn't know whether to be grateful or annoyed at the break in the tension that had occurred with that phone call. She and Loki went back into work/banter mode immediately, dutifully going to SHIELD and meeting with Nick Fury, who sent them both to England to investigate the fallen object. ''Believe me,'' the Director had said, jaw set in a line, ''I would just as soon pull you both and reassign you, but we're working with a skeleton crew now. Do _not_ screw this up.''

After this cheerful dismissal, they quickly returned to her apartment where Darcy packed a bag and then they were on a plane. Afterward, jet-lagged and weary (or at least Darcy was), they took a car from the airport out to a sprawling countryside. It was beautiful, she noticed, staring out the window while sucking down an extra large cup of coffee procured along the way. The caffeine and scenery were reviving her a little, and Darcy couldn't help but feel excited.

They were in England, after all. Where her story was set. She'd been there once very briefly with Jane, but it had been for some conference and she hadn't had time to see as much as she'd wished. Hopefully now she'd get a little more chance to explore. Darcy's eyes widened as the car pulled into a drive. Up ahead loomed an enormous old mansion that seemed quite familiar. It was, she realised with a pounding heart, almost exactly like the one that she had described in her story. This bizarre coincidence made her fall into stunned silence as she climbed out of the car and followed along beside Loki.

The wreckage lay off to one corner of the property, roped off with bright tape. The ground was scorched and plundered where the object had crashed, breaking into several large pieces. Darcy was amazed that it was still as intact as it was. ''It's old,'' she noted, crouching down beside the twisted metal, taking pictures. ''This can't be a new satellite.''

''No,'' agreed Loki. ''It doesn't seem to be.''

''Are they just going to leave it out here?'' she wondered incredulously.

''First, we report back, then they'll send a team out to haul it away. We don't know who it belongs to yet, or what happened to it.''

Darcy raised an eyebrow. ''Well, has NASA or anyone mentioned a missing satellite?''

''Not to my knowledge.''

''There's got to be some kind of chip or tracking-thingy that says where it was and who put it up there,'' she said.

''Yes, but it's not our job to find it. And don't go trying to pull it apart, either,'' Loki spoke with some alarm in his voice.

''I'm not _stupid_ ,'' Darcy grumbled in reply. ''So, they sent us here to take pictures?''

He nodded. ''And to come up with an initial report of findings. They'll take over after that. What did you think we were going to be doing?''

''Solving the mystery, obviously.''

''Oh, dear.''

Satisfied with the photographs that she had taken, Darcy got up and began to explore the surrounding area, paying careful attention to the grass. ''What are you looking for?'' Loki asked, watching her with some amusement.

''Crop circles!'' she called back.

''I'm sure there aren't any, _Mulder_.''

He was correct, of course. Darcy looked up at the sky. The weak sliver of sun that hung there had finally given up and was now covered with clusters of dark clouds. More bunched on the horizon. She shivered and wrapped her jacket more tightly around her shoulders; the temperature seemed to be dropping with shocking rapidity. After a few more minutes of vain searching for otherworldly markings on the ground she gave up and returned. Loki was taking readings of the object with some sort of device. ''Is there any radiation?'' Darcy asked him.

''Nothing unusual,'' he answered. Then he put it away and stared at the piece of mangled metal as if it were deliberately trying to aggravate him. ''Over 30 people watched it fall, took video. And yet nothing, no warning.''

''Cloaking, maybe, like we thought before?'' she suggested.

''Why pull down an old satellite?'' he asked, frowning. ''What would be the purpose in that?''

Darcy gave a shrug. ''Maybe it is totally random and there is no rhyme or reason.''

''I don't know...'' he looked around. ''Let's head back. It's getting rather cold and it looks like there may be a storm.''

They were kindly given use of the whole mansion by the owner, Mr. Walden-Pritchert. He was very rich and very busy, and quite put-out by the fact that an object from space had come hurtling onto his property. ''I'm going away for several days,'' he'd told them. ''And I would be very much obliged to you if this could be taken care of as quickly and quietly as possible.''

Loki assured the old man that they would try their best. ''There are staff here working,'' Mr. Walden-Pritchert said before hurrying out the door, ''but they leave early so the only person you'll be needing to bother with at all is the head caretaker, Ned Abernathy, and he's so silent that you won't notice him at all.''

Soon after he departed, the wind kicked up, shrieking like a banshee. Then snow began to fall in earnest, so quickly and wildly that they could barely even see across the yard. ''Well, shit,'' said Darcy, staring out the window.

''Indeed.''

They had accommodations at a hotel in town, but it didn't look like they would be making it there tonight, thanks to the freak storm. Darcy didn't mind, it gave her more time to explore and take notes. The interior of the manor was eerily similar to the one in her novel, right down to the libraries and the enormous observatory, and this coincidence fascinated and perturbed her. ''I Googled this place. Apparently a bunch of scientists and astronomers lived here back in the day,'' Darcy told Loki as they walked down a long hallway. ''They saw Halley's Comet through that telescope in the observatory.''

''Fascinating,'' he said.

She couldn't help but recall the scene in her story, where Violet stared at the stars while Lamont pleasured her senseless with his mouth.

The similarities were not lost on Loki, either. A very interesting turn of events had taken place. Full of opportunity. And danger, perhaps. Now that he and Darcy were essentially alone together once more, those feelings from earlier were returning. Some moments their relationship was perfectly friendly but then their eyes would meet and the tension would reignite, sparking electricity. He was very aware that he would most likely have kissed her back in her apartment had the phone not rang. And he got the feeling that she wouldn't have minded at all. Loki decided to take a walk alone to clear his thoughts and consider what his next move should be.

* * *

Loki had gone off somewhere, and so after some more solo investigating, Darcy settled herself on one of the sofas in a large, comfortably furnished sitting room. Someone had lit a fire in the fireplace. Since she was at a loss about the satellite, she decided that she might as well try to work on her story a little, given her surroundings. It might be a little dangerous, but hey, when was she going to have this chance again? She stared at the flames and mused over what she had so far. It was initially supposed to be a quick bit of historical smut, but obviously things had gotten...out of hand.

The main plot itself, like much of the...steamier parts of the story, had come to her in a dream. Darcy blamed _Jane Eyre_ and several other novels that she was reading at the time for the general setting. English manors just invited mystery and romance. Then, of course, the story had just taken on a life of its own, thanks to a certain someone. She still had no idea how it was going to end, but figured that the answer lay with her leading man. Mr. Lamont had a secret, most definitely. A secret identity, or something of the like. Maybe he was a vampire, or a werewolf? No, she decided, that was too cliche. But on the right track. There was something distinctly not-human about him, something otherworldly. Darcy closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the wind howling outside, thinking of the beautiful spirals of whirling snow, of the ice. Then she found herself thinking about Loki. He seemed more...alert since the weather had changed. It was as if something had woken in him along with the storm, his eyes were sharper, glittering. Whatever it was, she decided, it was attractive.

Darcy let her imagination free and soon it brought her thoughts of mysterious beasts that lurked in the snow and ice, alien creatures with sleek, shimmering blue scales. Ice dragons. She was roused from her stupor a few minutes later, realised that she'd been daydreaming for quite some time. Loki still hadn't returned. Stretching, she got to her feet and went off down the hallway. The housekeeper who had shown them around had pointed out an indoor pool. That was a novelty, Darcy thought, and one that she decided to take advantage of. Maybe a quick dip would help her think, get her mind back on track for their assignment.

She didn't have a bathing suit, obviously, but she decided to live dangerously and skinny-dip. The house was mostly empty, after all, and she doubted that anyone would even know she'd been there. The room was very soothing and pretty, done in tile of gold and white and aquamarine, the lighting soft. How nice it must be to live like this, Darcy thought to herself. She folded up her clothes and left them by the edge and then sank down into the heated water. It was peaceful. Her muscles relaxed instantly. As she paddled around, she mused that this would be a nice addition to her story. All sorts of naughty things could happen in a swimming pool. Against her will, she found her mind searching back to the few moments before they had been called away to this assignment. She was certain that she had not imagined the look in Loki's eyes, a very burning look that even now made her shiver with delight as she recalled it. It was the look of a man who wanted to kiss her. No, not just kiss- _devour_.

She shook her head. She was getting overly romantic again, she reasoned. The house was to blame. But she could use that to her advantage. As she climbed out of the pool, Darcy made a vow that she would not only complete their assignment above and beyond by solving the mystery, but she would finish her story once and for all and then put it-and Loki-out of her mind.

* * *

He quite liked this storm, Loki mused, staring out the window into the darkness. It brought out a primitive itch under his skin, roused the monster in him from slumber. He knew that he needed to be careful, to keep himself in check, but it was getting damnably difficult. He couldn't stop thinking about Darcy, no matter how hard he tried to think of crashed satellites and meteor showers and frogs and aliens. No matter how many times he tried to picture the scowling faces of Nick Fury and Jane Foster and Odin and all of the others who disgusted or annoyed him. After a long trek around the house, he gave up and went in search of her, saw that the door to the pool was open. Curious, he slowly peeked around it, careful to be quiet. Well, he certainly found her, stepping out of the water like some sea nymph, completely naked. He couldn't help but stare, she was absolutely beautiful, all creamy skin and sensuous curves. With what restraint he could muster, Loki turned away once he was certain he'd gotten every detail perfectly to memory.

Once Darcy had dried off and gotten dressed, she returned to the sitting room to continue research. Loki returned not long after that, taking a seat beside her on the sofa. He didn't say much to her, just pulled out his tablet and started making various calculations. While the fire continued to burn warmly in the fireplace, bathing the room in a pretty golden glow marked by interesting shadows here and there, she went through the books that she had found in the library, scientific texts and history books that contained a detailed and interesting history of astronomy. Darcy liked the illustrations: old wood cuttings and pictures of strange objects and lights in the sky. She tried to imagine what it must have been like to see something for the very first time and be in awe of it. Then she realised that she didn't quite have to imagine that. Her train of thought was interrupted by Loki's voice.

''I saw you earlier, in the pool,'' he confessed.

Darcy's skin went hot as she processed this. ''Were you _spying_ on me?'' she demanded, slamming the book closed with a thud.

''No! I was just looking for you and...there you were.''

''Jeez,'' she mumbled, staring down at her notes, trying to hide the flush that had crept over her cheeks. She was sure that she should be either outraged or embarrassed, but she was neither, strangely. In fact, she couldn't deny that she felt almost...excited.

''Nothing to be ashamed of,'' he told her.

She glared up at him.''Yeah, well, now you have an unfair advantage.''

He sighed and started unbuttoning his shirt. ''Would you like me to take my clothes off so that we can be even? Would that make you feel better?''

 _Yes!_ Screamed her traitorous mind as all the blood in her body flooded directly to her girly-bits.

''No, that won't be necessary,'' Darcy said, with great dignity. He shrugged.

Then, because he simply couldn't help himself now, Loki ventured a question, one that had been obsessing him more than he cared to admit.''What do you dream about?'' he asked her.

''What?''

''Why do you wake up so...bothered?'' He smiled wickedly. ''It's doesn't matter how many showers you take, I'll still know. It's a heat under your skin that you can't wash away.''

Darcy suppressed a groan. Why was he doing this to her? Was he deliberately trying to drive her crazy? Most likely, she decided.

''How long has it been?'' he pressed.

''Awhile,'' she admitted, her honesty surprising her once again. After all, Loki didn't have to know that she was dreaming about _him_ , if he had to believe that she was just generally horny, then so be it. ''I don't know, I guess after New Mexico everyone just started seeming so...boring. Ordinary. I'd seen a bigger part of what was out there and I wasn't going to be satisfied with ordinary after that.''

He smiled as if he was pleased with this.

''Well, how long has it been for _you_?'' she asked.

He shrugged. ''Also awhile, I suppose.''

''Nobody interesting?''

Again, another indifferent motion of his shoulders. ''Not really. Also, I had better things to do.''

''Yeah, I heard about that.''

''I'm sure that you did.''

''We all do things we regret.''

He gave her a look. ''Who says I regret any of it?''

Darcy rolled her eyes. ''You do. I can tell. You're bad but you're not that bad.''

''And you don't mind?''

''What, that you tried to take over the planet and left a huge mess for everyone to clean up, yeah, I mind that, but you've been punished for it and I think that you understand that it's not...the correct way to behave.''

''The correct way to behave...'' He looked pointedly at the history books lying on the table. ''You all still seem to be learning that as well.''

''We try to learn from our mistakes.''

He gave her a very long, searching look that made her tingle all the way down to her toes. ''You're not afraid of me, are you?'' Loki asked.

She snorted in response. ''No, I'm not afraid.''

''It's something else, then,'' he said softly, almost to himself.

''What is?'' Darcy asked curiously.

''Nothing.''

It got quiet, after that. The air seemed to thicken, like velvet. Perhaps feeling that it would be safer, they both fell asleep, right there on the large sofa. Darcy fell first, her head rested on Loki's shoulder and he didn't move her. He closed his eyes, swarmed by the warmth and weight of her body, the smell of her hair. Together, they tumbled down through the shadows and into the same dream. They encountered each other in a bedroom, acting their respective parts though they didn't know it.

 _''I want to play a game,'' said Mr. Lamont. ''I have a secret, but I can't let you see.'' Violet pouted at this. She sat up by the headboard, sprawled out naked. ''You can't see and you can't touch.'' He gently secured her hands to the bedposts with strips of cloth._

 _Then he tied a blindfold tightly around her eyes. She could hear him, feel him beside her. Her heart pounded. Something changed, Violet noticed. The atmosphere in the room grew colder.''Why won't you let me see you?'' she asked._

 _''Not yet,'' he replied. ''You must trust me.'' He ran a finger down her cheek. The touch was cold; she shivered. Lamont continued on, a slow and calculated descent along her body. He watched as goosebumps formed along her skin. Violet let out a hiss of breath as he closed a hand over one of her full breasts, stroking his thumb over her hard nipple. She squirmed a little, whimpered._

 _He was so cold, but the touch was incredibly stimulating, and sent little shocks all over her body. She wondered what on earth was making him so icy, as if he'd just come in from a snowstorm. His hand moved lower, she felt it trail along her stomach, then further still, until his fingers found their way between her legs. Violet arched her back, moaning as he gently stroked at her folds, parting her. Then the cold touch found her clit, swollen with excitement. He decided to leave it be for a moment, she would be overwhelmed enough soon. He teased at her entrance, now dripping, he noted with delight, and then slid a finger into her, then another. She was tight and hot and perfect, clutching silk, the contrast of heat and cold was intoxicating. She seemed to think so too because she was gasping and whimpering, her inner walls fluttering around him._

 _''Oh—that's...oh!'' Violet tried to shift her body, to move on those icy, wonderful fingers. The stimulation was almost too much. He moved them slowly in and out, hitting close to the place that could make her spin out of control—but he didn't want to do that yet. They had all night ahead of them and he was going to spend a good deal of time exploring her. Reluctantly, Lamont pulled his hand away. Violet let out a choked noise. ''Why?'' she demanded. ''Please, I want-''_

 _He put his fingers against her lips, coating them in her arousal. ''I know what you want.'' He was delighted when she opened her mouth and sucked the tips of his fingers in, running her tongue over them, tasting herself. ''I want to touch you, my lord,'' she said. ''Please let me.''_

 _''No,'' he said firmly. ''Not now. Don't touch me. Don't look at me.''_

 _He breathed on her neck, chill air, like an ice dragon, Violet imagined. Then lips found her pulse point, the edges of teeth grazed her skin. She'd reduced him to a wild thing, a beast, brought out his impulse to claim and devour._

 _He smelled good, like snow on a dark night, mixed with the scent that fills a room after a candle is extinguished. He continued exploring with his mouth, retracing the route that his hands had taken, but lingering longer, returning to the places he had intentionally neglected. Parting her legs, he saw how much she still craved release, she was coated with shimmering wetness, swollen and needy. It took every ounce of restraint not to simply thrust into her right then but it would be a bit of a shock, and he wanted to prepare her. So he positioned himself and brought his mouth down against her. She cried out as his lips and tongue worked at her urgently. It didn't take long at all for her to lose control, he tasted the flood of wetness on his tongue and it only made him more intent to possess her. He didn't stop, he kept on even as she continued to moan. Sparks were flashing behind her eyes as she lay there, helpless, being worked to yet another orgasm. She couldn't fight it, didn't want to. ''Do you like this?'' he asked, pausing._

 _''Yes!'' she screamed._

 _He wished to spend hours tasting her, seeing how many times he could make her come but now—the need was too great. His cock was huge and swollen and angry between his legs. He was well-endowed in human form, but even more so in this state, and he hoped that he wouldn't hurt her. She knew what was coming, wanted it. ''I need you,'' she found herself saying. ''Just take me; do it, please!''_

 _With a snarl he lunged over her, trying to use every last shred of restraint to enter her slowly, but it was difficult, almost torture when he felt her around him. It was a nearly indescribable sensation, she was stretched, overfilled, but good. The cold, the strange texture of his skin, so many different sensations made it hard to catch her breath. ''Good?'' he managed._

 _''Don't stop!'' He didn't. He slammed all the way into her, her body spasming in delighted shock. ''Oh my god, that's-'' He didn't let her finish this thought, he lost all control, reduced to something feral and hungry, a rutting beast plunging into her over and over again. The breath was nearly knocked from her lungs at the beautiful savagery. The feeling of being possessed. This...it felt right, somehow—this was what she had been needing._

 _Tingles began, familiar burning, icy-hot friction uncoiling inside. He heard her let out a rather animal-sounding moan, felt her spasm, clutch, drench him in her juices. That was enough and he came too, biting down on her shoulder when he did. She felt the icy bursts of his release deep inside and it made her twitch and shiver. They breathed. He stared down at her lush naked body, marked by his teeth and hands, skin covered in goosebumps, sweat, shivering and yet hot._

 _''Let me see you,'' she begged once more. It would take him a few minutes to calm, to shift back. He leaned over and pressed a surprisingly gentle kiss against her mouth._

 _''No,'' he said._


	8. Chapter 8

_O trespass sweetly urged!_

 _Give me my sin again._

 **-Romeo and Juliet, Act I Scene V**

* * *

The fire was down to a few embers and the wind was still moaning through the trees outside when Darcy awoke, on the sofa, and not alone. She was breathing heavily. There was a burning all through her body, hot tingles dancing in her blood. She shifted, realized that in the course of her dreaming she had moved perilously close to Loki; she was almost in his lap, her head on his shoulder, lips inches away from his neck—cool skin, pulse point, delicious smell. He woke too, then, slowly and lazily, and looked at her. His eyes shimmered like scales in the light, almost iridescent.

Her breath caught in her throat and she didn't know what to do, if she should move away. She didn't want to. God, the dream that she'd had! It was undoubtedly the realest one yet. In fact, Darcy felt like rather than experiencing her characters, it had really been just she and him. Everything had blurred, shifted. It was officially on it's way to being more than just a silly fantasy on paper. And she wanted it to be, despite the potential consequences, and this frightened Darcy a little. She made a move to get up and Loki clamped a hand on her arm, holding her in place.

''Don't,'' he said softly, voice like dark silk. ''Don't run away.'' Their bodies were still in dangerous proximity, she could feel his arousal pressing against her and she herself was humming with anticipation, her pussy aching and damp. ''What did you dream about?'' he asked, moving just an inch closer, until he was almost situated in between her legs. She didn't know what to say. ''I...I...''

''Be honest with me. What did you dream?'' he asked again, eyes serious.

She knew that he wasn't kidding and that she should probably just give it up.''I dreamed...I dreamed about you,'' she confessed.

Loki didn't seem at all surprised by this. ''Yes,'' he said. ''I dreamed about you too.''

Darcy blinked. ''You _did_?''

''I was there with you. ' _I have a secret,_ ' he whispered, a very wicked-seeming smile creeping across his mouth.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. They had apparently shared the same dream. But that was...well, nothing was impossible, but it was certainly _unusual_. She'd shared a sex dream with the god of mischief. Now, _that_ was good story material. ''How did it feel?'' he demanded. His hand was still holding her arm and he began to gently stroke her with his thumb.

''You were cold,'' she answered, voice just above a whisper. ''It felt wonderful.''

Loki didn't say anything for a moment after that, just stared at her, his expression full of a shadowy intensity that she'd never quite glimpsed before, one that made her pulse jump. His eyes looked like the woods in the evening. Then he asked, ''Did you like being tied to the bed?''

''Yes,'' she responded with a nod, blushing a little. Darcy couldn't help but feel embarrassed. None of her past bed partners had ever really wanted to take her up on certain particular suggestions. They all seemed too hesitant, afraid that they might hurt her, despite her reassurances. ''Look, I sometimes like that...sort of thing. I like it rougher. Not _too_...but, you know...'' Her shoulders shrugged helplessly.

He smiled, showed his teeth. ''You are going to have to elaborate a little more for me on what you want. I think _I_ know, but I want to hear you say it.''

''Wait...do you mean...do you want to...to really do _that_?'' Darcy's heart hammered against her ribs and she felt a gush of heat squirm in her lower belly at the thought. ''What we did in the dream?''

''And more. _Much_ more. Yes,'' he said, ''I do.''

''I do too,'' she replied. ''I just don't know if we should. It might be a mistake.''

''Oh, it probably is,'' he agreed casually, putting his other hand on her knee, drawing her even closer. ''But I'm apparently _very good_ at making mistakes.'' He rocked his hips forward slightly, letting her feel him. Darcy shuddered. Her head spun. Everything was going so fast. This was _officially_ real life, now, it wasn't a dream and it wasn't a story. It was...dangerous. But she needed it, bad. If her adventures in writing had taught her anything, it was that she had both desire and ambition. It had showed her another side of herself, a window into her subconscious. A side that maybe he could share with her. In fact, Loki just might be the perfect person to share it with. But those pesky consequences...Reality tended to have those. He wasn't an abstract, a flat character safely existing on paper—he was real and solid and more than she'd ever considered. What should she do? What would _Violet_ do? Well-that was obvious.

Darcy leaned forward and pressed her mouth against Loki's before she had time to reconsider. His lips were pleasantly cold and silky. He responded immediately, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck, fingers threading through her hair. He bit down on her bottom lip, gently, but with a firm possessiveness that promised many things. His tongue slid into her mouth, moved against hers. He _really_ knew how to kiss, she realized, something that not all men knew. She'd experienced a lot of sloppy kissers in the past, but he definitely wasn't one of them, he had it down to an art.

Pulling her hair, Loki tilted back her head, exposing the long column of her throat to him. Then his mouth moved to the pale, soft, vulnerable flesh there, sucking and kissing in a way that melted Darcy's bones. Then his teeth grazed and nipped with just enough pressure to send tingles pulsing through her. She was dizzy. His fingers dug further into her hair, wrapping around the dark strands and tugging harder, which sent little shocks of electricity swirling in her womb. She'd always secretly loved having her hair pulled, it was a real turn-on for her.

Then his hands moved down and he got to work removing her shirt; Darcy helped him pull it over her head and it was tossed somewhere, joined soon after by her bra, and then he was all over her breasts, cupping and squeezing and sucking, softly raking her with his teeth. She was drowning. Bursts of heat pulsed between her legs and she arched her body against him. He laughed, a dark sound. ''Be patient,'' he told her. Darcy felt him move back, wondered what he was doing. She found out as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her in a rough, abrupt movement. He walked quickly, carrying her like she weighed nothing. They were down the hall in a blur and then they were in one of the bedrooms and the door was kicked shut. He turned on the light, bathing everything in a warm, soft glow. Darcy could see the snow still falling outside the window, the weather had certainly not improved during the night. Loki deposited her on the bed and then began removing his shirt. She waited, leaned back against the cushions. He was like a storm, a force of nature. He moved forward, climbing onto the bed and crawling towards her.

Just then, from outside the window came a tearing _boom_ , a sudden very loud crash like an eruption, almost shaking the house to its foundation. The spell broke for a moment and they seemed to remember where they were, blinking and hesitating. ''What was that?'' Darcy yelped, briefly stupefied with shock. Loki shook his head. ''I don't know.''

Then it came again, louder this time. The bed actually rattled, banging the headboard against the wall. She had hoped it would, though not for this particular reason. Regretfully, their eyes met. ''I'll go check,'' he mumbled, pulling on his shirt and going out into the hallway. Darcy chewed on her lower lip and tried to get her bearings. Suddenly chilly, she wrapped the bedcovers around herself and looked out at the whirling snow. There may have been smoke there, too, but with the storm obscuring everything it was hard to tell. Despite the new apprehension, she was still marvelously dazed. Her hand went to her neck, fingers tracing over where his teeth had marked her. A few moments later the door opened and Loki returned. His expression was annoyed as his handed her the shirt and bra that they'd hastily left on the floor in the other room. ''We have another problem,'' he said. ''Two of them, actually.''

In the snow several feet from the house were two smoking, medium-sized craters. Inside were rocks, small meteors, Darcy supposed. For relaltively little things, they'd certainly made an impact. ''What the _fuck_?'' she demanded of the space rocks. _Lousy cockblockers_ , she thought to herself. _I hate the universe, I hate it!_ Standing beside her, Loki was thinking much the same thing as he surveyed the scene with utter disdain.

Then, out of the corner of Darcy's eye, by the side of the house, she saw movement. There was someone standing there, watching. ''Hey!'' she called, moving toward the person. ''Who are you?''

He was a short little man with dark hair and a sharp nose. His eyes were gray and shifty. ''Ned Abernathy,'' he answered. ''I'm the caretaker.''

''Did you see what happened?''

Ned gulped and nodded. ''They came right out of the sky.'' Something weird and excited leapt in his eyes. ''Meteors! From space! Can you believe it?''

''Yes, I can, considering that a satellite just crash landed here yesterday,'' Loki responded crankily. ''I'd say this place rather _invites_ objects to come tumbling from space.''

Laughing nervously, Ned said, ''Oh, quite the coincidence, eh?'' He craned his neck and stared at the smoking holes in the ground. Loki shot him a rather menacing look and then he had the good sense to scurry away.

''Rat-faced little thing,'' he noted, watching as the man departed. Then he turned back and heaved an angry sigh. ''Blast,'' he muttered.

'' _Literally._ '' Darcy said, shivering in the cold. ''Dude, what is going on?''

Loki shook his head. ''I really don't know. But unfortunately it looks like we're going to have to do some actual work.'' They trudged back into the house to put on more suitable clothing. After getting their gear and taking numerous readings and photographs of the new event for their now-growing report, they retreated to the kitchen. Darcy had found a coffee maker and some high-quality java and was now eagerly awaiting the hot brew. Just as they suspected, there had been no measurable recording of this incident anywhere. It was almost as if the meteorites been invisible whilst tearing merrily through the atmosphere.

''So, what do all of these events have in common?'' Loki asked, leaning on the counter across from her. ''Are they all connected?''

''Aren't these the same exact questions that we've been asking from the very beginning?'' she said warily, chewing on the cap of a pen. Her notebook sat open in front of her to a blank page, mocking her with it's emptiness.

''Yes. And we're still asking them because they remain unanswered, _obviously_.'' He pulled the pen away from her mouth. ''That's disgusting,'' he told her.

She glowered at him. ''I can't help it. I have an oral fixation.''

''I'm _so_ glad to hear it. Save that for later.''

Oh yeah, and then there was _that._ The past hour or so had been so rushed and busy that Darcy had been quickly distracted from what they had been doing before the sky decided to start falling again.

Loki hadn't, really. He thought about it every time he looked at Darcy. Her hair was a tangle. Her lips were still a little reddened from kissing. When she shifted or turned her head he could catch a glimpse of the marks that he'd left on her neck. He very much despised the entire cosmos at the moment. As usual, it was conspiring to get in his way. It seemed like every time he got close to her, something ridiculous happened. But he was nothing if not determined. This nonsense was going to end, even if he had to burn his brain out thinking of a solution. And then satellites and asteroids would stay up where they belonged and he could fuck her until she screamed and then everyone would be happy. He just hoped that his self-control could hold out until then. He looked over at her, sitting at the counter, staring moodily down at her notebook, drawing spirals and other shapes while she sipped at a cup of coffee. While she was distracted, he slipped out of the room and went somewhere to think.

* * *

Things had changed gears very rapidly and Darcy's mind and body were struggling to catch up. She tried to put out of her mind everything that they'd done, but it was almost impossible. She got up and paced around the kitchen in thought and then after a few minutes saw that Loki had wandered away. He had a habit of doing that recently, she noticed. She found him down at the end of the hall by an enormous window, which was now being used as a makeshift chalkboard. It was already half-covered in writing, some sort of strange equation which might as well have been alien glyphs to Darcy.

''Whatcha doin', John Nash?'' she asked. ''I hope that isn't permanent marker.''

''It'll wash off. It's a chalk marker. I found it in a drawer.'' Loki kept writing, his brow furrowed in concentration. ''Damn,'' he said, stepping back a bit. ''Still looking at it from the wrong angle.''

''Kay, well...while you're doing...that, I'm gonna go and try to, ah, do some research.'' On what, Darcy didn't know. He nodded and turned back to the window.

Once she had departed, he sighed deeply. He realized that he was holding the marker so tightly that he had almost snapped it in two. While he made his calculations, he continued to ponder _all_ of the factors operating in their current situation. Logically, he knew, he should be thankful that they had been interrupted. Sleeping with Darcy was a bad idea, it could get very messy and complicated for a number of reasons. But he _wanted_ to. He just plain old wanted to. And usually, he did what he wanted. It would be good for her, too, he was sure...she could finally unleash some of her frustration, fulfil a few fantasies and then, hopefully, move on with her life. They wouldn't be working together for too much longer, after all. If they couldn't come up with something constructive, Fury was probably going to wind up pulling them from this assignment as soon as Banner or someone else became available, and then Darcy would be sent back to Foster and he'd be given a stern reprimand. None of that was ideal, however. And he was falling into an uncharacteristically defeatist line of thinking, Loki realized as he grimaced at the writing on the window. He scrubbed part of it away with his hand.

No, no..he _could_ make this work, he assured himself. Nothing about the problem that they were facing made any sense—but neither did they, he supposed. Between her strange leaps of fancy and his intellect they just might stand a chance of coming up with an out-of-the-box solution. And then...well, the sooner that chaos stopped ensuing every time he got close to her, the sooner they could both get what they wanted.

He cast one more glance at the calculations in the window, let them sink into his brain as he turned and walked down the hall.

Darcy's face screwed up in frustration as she sat in the library, flipping through a book. Who was she kidding? She was totally out of her depth, in more ways than one. _What would Violet do?_ she asked herself again. Violet wouldn't give up. She was plucky and tough. She'd come up with an ingenious solution and then celebrate with a few rounds of mind-blowing sex. Hmmm...Darcy pulled out her notebook and began to write.

 _Violet was enraged by the interruption, but she decided not to let this deter her. She was certain that this mystery could be solved. Her superiors were counting on her, she had been chosen specifically for this mission and she wasn't going to fail. She was beginning to think that part of the answer lay in this very house. After all, wasn't it a place where they observed the skies?Could that be more than a coincidence? Violet decided that she was going to have to do a little more digging. She needed to check the records of what had been studied and observed by the scientists, if there were any previous instances of phenomena similar to what she and Mr. Lamont were witnessing now._

Darcy smiled widely. Yes! That was it! Well, it was a start. Scientists. Observation. _Things that disappear when you're looking for them_ —that had been one of her strange theories back in her apartment. She thought back to the beginning, with the signal. Once she had recorded it, it had conveniently disappeared. Then they had started looking harder—Jane was sent to New Mexico, to an observatory—a place that essentially did nothing but look for stuff happening in the sky. And then lo and behold, a mysterious, mocking rain of frogs had fallen undetected. Back to her and Loki in New York—looking, looking, watching closely—boom, meteor shower. Big old house with a huge _observatory_ in England: satellite, meteor, meteor. ''Maybe it doesn't like being watched?'' she mumbled aloud. Whatever _it_ was. Well, not everyone was into exhibitionism, Darcy reasoned as she continued to write.

 _In addition to solving this problem, Violet also resolved to discover more about Mr. Lamont. She knew that he had a secret—he had confessed such to her—but the exact nature of this secret remained unknown. From what she had...gathered thus far, she believed that he possessed some sort of unique shapeshifting ability that he didn't want her to witness directly. He had blindfolded her and made certain that she was carefully secured to the bed, so that she would not be able to see or touch him while he made love to her, and continuously denied her requests to do so. This annoyed Violet, because she very much wanted to reciprocate the pleasure that he was giving to her. Her only method of observation of him in his other state was tactile—when he touched her, he felt remarkably cold. His hands, his breath and lips, as well as...other parts of him were all quite icy, though not in an unpleasant way, she had learned. In fact, the effect was quite stimulating._

Stimulating, indeed. Now all of her arousal from earlier was coming back with a vengeance and so she shut her notebook before she wrote herself into a frenzy. She got to her feet and collected some of the science texts that were on the table beside her. She set the books back on the shelf, her arm bumping against the corner as she did so. Suddenly, the shelf bent at an odd angle and then Darcy jumped back in surprise as it began to move, sliding open as if it were a door. ''No fucking way!'' she exclaimed. It _was_ a door. And behind it was a whole other hidden room.

''Hey!'' she called, running into the hallway. Loki heard her voice and hurried over. He'd been on his way to find her. ''What is it?'' he asked. Darcy grabbed him by the hand and eagerly pulled him along and back into the library. ''Secret chamber! I found it—look!''

He laughed aloud at the sight. ''Excellent work,'' he told her. ''Let's see what's inside.''

It was another, smaller library. The shelves were filled with strange tomes and very old leather-bound journals.

''The scientists who lived here, did they keep notebooks?'' he asked.

She nodded, secretly pleased that they now seemed to be thinking along the same lines. _I knew we worked well together,_ she thought to herself. ''Yeah. There was a shelf of them in the observatory.''

''Not all of them, apparently,'' he said, pulling one down and examining it. Darcy took a closer look around the room. On the walls were odd charts and maps of the cosmos, unlike any that she'd seen before. Loki flipped through some of the pages, then his eyes lit. ''I think you may have found something very interesting,'' he said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter for you! Just a warning, it gets pretty explicit. If that's not your thing...then you probably are not reading this story anyway, haha ;) Let me know what you think!**

* * *

 _You kiss by the book_

 **-Romeo and Juliet, Act I Scene V**

''What is it?'' Darcy asked curiously.

Loki scanned the book in front of him once more. ''I think these scientists, whoever they were, were up to something more than just astronomy.''

She rubbed her hands together, delighted. ''Oooh, scandalous! Were they dabbling in the dark arts?''

''Well, certainly in the occult, it seems. From what I can gather,'' he walked over and started to examine the weird charts on the wall, ''they were mages, sorcerers, if you will. Very skilled ones, too. Practiced a lot of planetary magic and alchemy.'' Loki paused thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Then he flipped a page. ''Ah, here,''he said, pointing. Darcy stood beside him, looking over his shoulder at the text. There was a lot of gibberish scrawled there, weird symbols and writing in an arcane language.

''What does it mean?'' she asked.

''Manifestation, or...bringing something about. Remember that old idea about wishing on a star? This is a similarly romantic notion, only on a much larger scale. Thought it seems that they all died before it could come to fruition.''

''Before _what_ could?''

''Not sure exactly,'' Loki replied. ''They were trying to call down some sort of phenomena from the heavens to aid them somehow...I'll have to read more to try and figure out precisely what they were trying to accomplish.''

''Wow. Hey, do you think that their magic or whatever has something to do with the weird stuff happening now?'' wondered Darcy. ''I mean, there certainly has been a lot of calling down of phenomena, as you say.''

''Indeed. Perhaps someone is continuing their work.''

''But who? That Walden-Pritchert guy didn't exactly seem like the sorcerer type.''

''No he didn't. What about that ugly little caretaker?''

''Ned?'' Darcy frowned. ''I don't know. Maybe. He seems like a Dungeons and Dragons kinda dude. Maybe he decided to play around with the real stuff.''

''Well, let's just keep an eye out,'' he said, closing the book and then picking up a few more from the shelf. ''At least now we have a little more to go on. I'm going to take these with me and see if I can get any additional information from them. Let's compare these journals to their scientific notebooks in the observatory, see if anything matches up.''

''Sounds good.''

As they made their way back out of the chamber she stumbled a little, knocking into him. Loki caught her around the waist, steadying her. ''You lose your balance quite often,'' he remarked. ''Do you have a medical condition? Shall we have your brain scanned?''

''I'm just clumsy,'' mumbled Darcy. ''It gets worse when I'm distracted.'' He smiled crookedly, suddenly very aware of his hands on her body. Then he released her, somewhat reluctantly. ''Let's get out of here, shall we?''

She nodded. ''Yes, we...shall.''

* * *

Loki needed yet another moment to clear his head. He was getting similarly _distracted_ ; there were a lot of conflicting emotions and desires churning around inside of him, like electricity threatening to strike. _She_ was the cause of it, he knew. What they had discovered inside that hidden chamber was definitely very intriguing, and could potentially be a missing piece of the puzzle. Fortunately, magic was something that he knew a great deal about, more so even than astronomy. Now that they had this new angle to work, they actually stood a good chance of figuring out what in the Hel was going on. The problem was, he couldn't concentrate worth a damn.

The storm still raged on outside. It seemed to call to him. Darcy had gone into the kitchen to make some more coffee and now he was alone. Opening the back door, Loki walked out, his feet making imprints in the snow. The icy air felt wonderful against his skin. He walked a few more steps, let the wind rush over him, the flakes kiss him. It felt familiar, like a home he didn't know he missed, cold and wild. He tilted his face up, allowing himself to change for just a moment, to let his monstrous self emerge amid the tempest.

Darcy wondered where on earth Loki had gotten to now. He kept disappearing. Going in search of him, she passed by the window, then caught sight of a tall figure standing out in the snow. She squinted. It was Loki, all right. What the hell was he doing out there in the middle of a snowstorm? ''Strange boy,'' she muttered with a shake of her head. Quietly, she opened the door and crept forward, then put a hand over her mouth as she was met with a very strange sight.

She stood, riveted, watching as Loki _changed_ , skin darkening in colour to a deep blue, the texture altering, bringing out intricate raised patterns. He was _beautiful_ _,_ she thought, temporarily unable to look away. The, as if he could sense her, he looked over, saw her watching. His eyes widened and then he changed back, returning to his normal appearance. He stalked back toward the house, his expression difficult to read—but there was something there that made butterflies whirl in her lower belly. Darcy hurried away, retreating into the study with the fireplace, picking up a book and pretending to look busy.

She heard him enter the room, didn't look up. In a second he was beside her; he yanked the book forcefully from her hands and tossed it over his shoulder. It hit the floor with a thud.

''What did you see?'' Loki demanded.

''N—Nothing,'' she stammered.

Something flashed in his eyes, a wicked light, both bright and very dark. She found it obscenely attractive. '' _Liar_ ,'' he said. ''I'm going to have to punish you.''

Darcy blinked. ''What?''

He was still furious about their being interrupted earlier, and now all of his pent-up frustration came bubbling to the surface, then exploded. In a second, Loki had her across his knee and had pulled her pants and underwear down, revealing her luscious backside. Her heart thudded and the blood pounded in her ears.

' _Oh god_ ,' she thought, 'i _s he really gonna._.''

Her question was answered as his hand came down against her skin with a loud slap. ''Ah!''' she yelped at the sting. Then another. ''It isn't nice to sneak around,''-whack!-''and spy on people,'' he scolded.

''I wasn't spying!'' Darcy protested, and was met with another smack. It burned, but in a strangely good way. It sent delicious shockwaves all through her, the pain invigorating. She felt weird for enjoying it, then gave up and allowed herself. This had always been one of her fantasies, after all. ''I was just looking for you!'' This earned her another strike of his hand and she couldn't help the moan that spilled from her mouth. Her clit was starting to throb and she knew that she was getting wet.

''What did you see?'' Loki asked again in a low voice. His hand rested still on her burning flesh for a moment. Then his fingers slid down slowly between her legs, brushing against her dripping folds. Darcy gasped and wriggled a little. He was getting hard, she realized, she could feel him poking her in the stomach. ''What did you _see_?'' The question came again as he started to stroke her very teasingly.

''I saw you,'' she said. ''Just you.''

She heard him give a little snarl at this and then he thrust a finger deep inside of her and she bucked forward, all the breath leaving her lungs.

''Don't _lie_.''

''I'm not lying. I saw _you_. Is that your secret?''

Loki didn't reply at first, instead kept pumping his finger in and out, holding Darcy still with his other hand so she couldn't move and squirm. Her arousal was making him crazy. Now he was almost out of his mind with lust. ''Were you frightened by what you saw?'' he asked.

''No—o,'' she said, the words wavering in a moan as he added a second finger. ''No. I liked it. I thought you were beautiful.''

He pulled his hand away from her, his fingers drenched in her juices. He really hadn't expected her to say that, and it took him aback for a moment.

She ached at the loss of contact. ''Please,'' she whimpered, sounding pathetic.

''Please what?''

''Please don't stop!''

He laughed, the sound rough. ''Don't worry. I'm just getting started with you.'' He lifted her, flipping her over so that she was lying on her back on the couch. He extended his hand and the door to the room slammed shut. ''I don't care if the sky falls completely. Let it fall.''

Darcy nodded. ''Let it fall,'' she agreed, scrambling out of her clothes. Loki pulled his shirt off and climbed over her, kissing her deeply. Then he trailed his lips down her stomach, pushing her legs apart. She felt a little shy suddenly, so open in front of him. He just stared, then parted her with his fingers, still looking.

She was so delicate, pretty and silky, like the petals of a flower, glistening with wetness. He did that to her, he realized, and that made him feel very warm inside, very proud. Had she truly found him beautiful? Or was that just something she'd said in the heat of the moment? What a strange, unique woman. Maybe she really did have an attraction to monsters. She'd certainly responded in their shared dream. His cock stiffened further at the memory. Even though it had been a dream, it had been marvellously realistic, and now he'd do anything to be able to fuck her in his true form, to feel her tight heat clutching around him...

Loki growled and leaned down, bringing his mouth against her, loving the feel and taste of her, stroking and flicking her with his tongue. Darcy let out a ragged gasp and dug her fingers into his hair, scratching at his scalp. He was doing terrible things to her. Still revved up from the spanking and the teasing she was now in sensory overload, electricity racing through her with every swipe of his tongue. When he sucked on her swollen clit he felt her legs tremble, tasted a burst of liquid, tasted _her._ ''S—sorry,'' she said, panting. He sat up a little and looked at her. ''That was the first of many, my dear. You're going to have a lot more to apologize for, trust me.''

She shivered, hot and cold and tingly. Before she could respond to that he got to work removing the rest of his clothes. She watched with rapt attention as his body was completely revealed to her. God, he was gorgeous. Even in human form there was something so...wild about him, he had a kind of predatory grace, like an animal.

Darcy took a moment to admire his long, lean form, the toned muscles of his chest and torso, down lower to the very impressive, very erect cock between his legs. He noticed her staring, and smiled. She really _did_ find him attractive. He still wasn't sure how to feel about that.

''Can I touch you?'' she asked. Deja vu ran through Loki as her question brought echoes of the previous night's dream. He had deprived her then, and thought of doing it now, but he did desperately want to feel her hands on him for real.

''Alright,'' he said. She seemed relieved, then reached out and ran her fingers slowly along his chest, traveling downwards until her hand had closed over him, wrapping around, gently at first and then starting to stroke. Her movements were maddeningly slow, she seemed absorbed with the feel of him.

''Do it harder,'' he instructed. ''Or better yet...'' he reached around and gripped a fistful of her hair, pulling her head forward. She got the message, and her lips closed eagerly around his length. He hissed, fingers tangling and yanking at her dark tresses. Darcy was very good at this, her mouth felt utterly fantastic, voracious and sensual.

He had stamina. He could last for a long time, but it had been awhile, and this was possibly the best head he'd ever gotten, so she was going to have to stop.

''That's enough,'' he said, and she paused, releasing him with some reluctance. ''Did you like that?'' he asked. She nodded. Then she surprised him by getting up and pushing him down onto the couch, her movements urgent and rough. She slid down onto him, her head thrown back in a spasm of delight. ''Oh, _yes,_ '' she said, digging her fingers into his shoulder, her nails scratching along his skin as she started to move, riding him hard.

''That's a girl!'' he said encouragingly. He grabbed her breasts, squeezing them, pinching her nipples. ''I love these,'' he told her. ''Do you like it when I play with your tits?''

''Yes. Fuck, yes,'' Darcy responded as she continued to bounce on his cock. ''How about _this_?'' Loki asked, releasing her breasts and then moving his hand down between their bodies, rubbing her clit. She jolted; he felt her walls clamp down around him harder, squeezing him. ''I'll take that as a yes,'' he said, continuing. She really _was_ lovely, he thought as he watched her, with her flushed skin and her head thrown back, her hair spilling down, full lips parted as she let out little mewling sounds. Truth be told he hadn't felt this good in a long time. Yes, everything was working out rather nicely. He stopped torturing her clit and then gripped her hips, forcing her to stop. ''My turn,'' he said.

He repositioned their bodies so that she was on her knees in front of him. 'I want to be able to see you,'' Darcy complained, pouting.

''I'm right here,'' Loki assured her, then slid inside of her in one hard thrust. ''You can feel me, can't you?''

''Yes,'' she gasped, her body adjusting to the new angle. She'd never been fucked quite like this before, and he was giving her exactly what she needed and then some. It crossed her mind how surreal all of this was: just as few short weeks earlier she'd been secretly writing dirty stories in between fetching coffee and entering data and now she was in a mansion in England getting nailed by a god. Life sure was funny sometimes.

''Fuck, yeah, give it to me!'' she cried, surprising herself. He seemed to respond favourably to this because he did indeed speed up, moving faster and harder. ''You like that? You like the way I fuck your tight, needy little cunt?''

''Yes! God, yes, I love it, it feels so good!''

Darcy wasn't looking at him, and Loki wanted desperately to give in and feel her, just for a moment... He allowed it to happen, he let go of the glamour that he wore, his constant disguise. Sometimes he wore it so well that he forgot who he really was, what he really was.

Deep inside of her she felt a curious yet somehow familiar sensation. She recognized it from her dreams.

''Be a good girl and do as I say,'' he spoke firmly. '' _Don'_ t look at me. If you look at me, you don't get to come, understand?''

''I understand,'' she said. As aggravating as it was that he wouldn't let her see him, Darcy needed desperately for them to continue. It was a fascinating feeling, the shock of cold filling her. She could swear that his cock actually grew, swelling and thickening inside of her, touching nerve endings that she didn't even know that she had.

Loki had never done this before, in this form. Only in a dream. It was perfect. She was so tight, engulfing him in her heat. The juxtaposition of temperature was thrilling. She cried out, tried to move on him. He held her still. ''Not yet.'' His voice was surprisingly gentle. ''Just let me feel you for a moment.''

With great difficulty, she forced herself not to move, even though she was dying to. She squeezed her inner muscles around him, it sent shivers all through her womb. ''Oh, you greedy little thing,'' he whispered. ''You're insatiable, aren't you? Alright, then.'' Thankfully, she felt him start to move. Darcy knew that she wasn't going to last long, and she was also aware that she was on the verge of a potentially mind-shattering orgasm, her body pushed it its limit. She felt it begin to build, with every stroke it grew. Her eyelids fluttered then settled closed and she forgot about seeing anything, concentrated solely on feeling.

Waves, pulsing, radiating outward. He claimed her body, possessed her. Cold hands clutched at her skin. He growled, thrust again and again, striking against her g-spot once, twice, then she screamed as she lost all control. Wave after wave of pleasure so intense that it was nearly pain was drawn from her and he didn't stop, just kept plundering her even as she came.

He wanted to push her, he realized, to see what her body was capable of. He knew it was a lot for her to handle, almost overwhelming, but Loki didn't care. He wanted to make this count, for both of them. ''Touch yourself,'' he ordered.

''It's—it's too much!'' she protested.

''Do it now!'' he snarled in a dark voice. Darcy obliged, pressing her fingers against her clitoris, the resulting stimulation forcing her towards another peak. Just as she thought it would taper off his icy cock would hit another sweet spot and then she'd come again, harder than before.

Her orgasming cunt felt so perfect around him that he thrust once more and then came, spilling inside of her in intense bursts. They remained still for a few moments after, their bodies joined. By the time he had pulled out of her he had changed back. Darcy lay there, catching her breath, then rolled off of the couch and got to her feet.

Her teeth were chattering a little. She pulled on her clothes and then sat down next to the fire, wincing a little as how sore she was. But she wouldn't trade it for anything. Her head was reeling as she kept trying to process what had just happened, make herself sure that she hadn't dreamed it all. There was a stupid smile on her face. ''Are you alright?'' Loki asked gruffly, putting his own clothes back on. ''I didn't hurt you, did I?''

She looked up at him and shook her head. ''No. That was...that was great.''

''Yes,'' he agreed, feeling a little relieved. ''You're shivering, though. Was the...cold...unpleasant?''

Darcy smiled and the sight gave him an odd feeling in his chest. ''I liked it. Alot. _The cold never bothered me anyway,_ '' she sang out of key,

Loki sighed and rolled his eyes. ''Ridiculous girl,'' he said, amazed at the sudden fondness in his tone. ''Whatever am I going to do with you?''


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey loves! Thank you for all of the reviews and faves! It makes me really happy to know that you are all liking this story. Here's the next chap, once again it gets a little explicit. Enjoy and let me know what you think! ;)**

* * *

Darcy realized that she should probably take a shower, but she didn't want to, at least not right away. Some sentimental impulse made her want to keep the scent of him covering her body, that smell of incense and snow. Then a thought occurred to her, hammering across her brain. ''I'm not on birth control!'' she exclaimed, seized with panic. Loki looked at her strangely. ''Yes, _and_?''

'' _I'm not on birth contro_ l! We just had unprotected sex!''

He rolled his eyes. ''Please. I'm not an idiot. You have nothing to worry about.''

She relaxed mildly, her heart climbed down out of her throat. ''Really?''

''Really. I have no desire for you to return to SHIELD pregnant. Your friend Foster would probably have me flayed alive. Or she'd _try_ , anyhow.''

''Oh. Ok. If you're sure. But how-''

''I have my ways,'' he said. ''And they're more reliable than _your_ methods, trust me.''

This news made Darcy quite happy and relieved, as she secretly hoped to repeat the events of the past hour. She didn't know if they would be continuing these activities once they returned home and so she wanted as much as she could get. She fervently hoped that he did too. But she wasn't going to get attached to Loki, she assured herself firmly. This was just about sex. For the moment, they were colleagues with benefits, nothing more.

They fell back into work mode after that, both of them less distracted and more able to think constructively. Loki went to the observatory to examine some of the old equipment there, while Darcy continued on with her research, which now _finally_ had some direction thanks to the discovery of the hidden room.

She needed some of the data files from the previous events so that she could compare them to the ones in the scientists' logs. Even if they hadn't really registered, maybe there was something that she was missing, something to indicate a pattern. The files were on Loki's laptop, so Darcy pulled it out of its case and looked for them. While she was searching, her eye caught on something. 'Chapter One, Chapter Two'...and so on. Her heart sank a little as she clicked on one of the documents and it opened to reveal some very familiar words. It appeared that not only had Loki indeed read her story that night he'd mistakenly taken her flash drive—but he'd gone onto her laptop while she wasn't looking to deliberately find the rest of them. Why? This made Darcy wonder instantly about the other things that they'd done. What was his real motivation? Was this all just some sort of weird game for him? Her face grew hot as she quickly focused on getting the files that she needed. She still had a job to do, after all.

Just then, Loki walked back into the room. His eyes narrowed a little when he saw Darcy with his computer, and hers narrowed right back. He scolded himself for not locking it. This was some weird form of karmic justice, he decided. He hated karma.

''Just looking for some _files_ ,'' she said, with some acid in the words. ''But I think I might have found the wrong ones. You _did_ read my story.''

''Yes,'' he replied simply, knowing that there was no point in denying it.

''And not only did you read it, but then you deliberately went onto my personal computer and found the rest of what I'd written.''

''Yes.''

''You violated my privacy.''

''Yes.''

'' _Why_? Did you do it all to mess with me because I based Mr. Lamont off of you?''

Loki looked a little surprised at this, Darcy noticed, but then again deception was second nature to him. And yet...

''Really?'' he asked, raising an eyebrow. ''Always?''

She rolled her eyes. ''Don't play dumb. Yes, always, since I started writing it. I saw you walk by one day and you were all...dark and bad and stuff, so it worked out. Seriously, am I just...something to keep you entertained?''

He smiled. ''Well, I certainly find you _quite_ entertaining. I read your story because I was intrigued by it. And by you.''

She moved closer. Glaring at him, Darcy said, ''Are you serious? So, the whole time were you just plotting to get into my pants?''

''No,'' Loki insisted. ''That was an afterthought.''

She shoved him, which made little impact. He barely moved. ''And just on a creative note, I think that you could come up with a better name than Violet Delancey,'' he told her. In response, she shoved him again, harder. He laughed. ''There's my girl! You know I like it a bit rough, too.''

''Oh, you're so fucking infuriating,'' she grumbled, turning and stalking out of the room. She heard him laugh again as she departed.

Darcy took several brisk walks around the house. Passing by a mirror in the hallway, she caught her reflection and noticed that she had a serious case of sex hair, which she tried to comb out with her fingers. She also noticed the rather intense love bites on her neck. ''Fucking vampire,'' she mumbled, though she couldn't help but feel flushed at the memory of how they had gotten there. She was definitely a bit of a freak, she was realising. And she didn't mind it one bit. Oh well. She had a large collection of scarves at home.

Once she'd calmed, she forced herself to be mature and adult about the whole matter. What was done was done. And regardless of whether Loki was just playing with her or not, she was _definitely_ getting something out of it too, so what did it matter? The snow seemed to be letting up the slightest bit, Darcy noticed as she walked by one of the large windows. She wondered if this meant that they would soon have to leave. She really didn't want Fury to order them back before they had a chance to finish their investigation. And...well...she was having a lot of fun and didn't necessarily want to return to desks and offices and endless data entry.

''How's it going,'' she asked, returning to the room and sitting down beside Loki. ''Did you figure out what those sorcerer-astronomers were trying to do?''

''It was certainly complicated,'' he admitted, nodding towards the stack of leather-bound journals lying on the table. ''A unique, almost ingenious blend of magic and science. They observed what they called 'blind spots' in the universe every so often. Times when phenomena would occur and leave tangible signs but not be observable while they were happening. The scientists believed that these blind spots were...supernatural in origin somehow, or portents. They wanted to grip or harness a 'vortex of power' that would occur along with the blind spot.'' He read aloud from the notebook. '' _We have found that these possess great intelligence, able to make manifest not only great wonders from the sky, but also on Earth. Many of us have found that during these times that which we conceive of in our minds can become real_.''

''Black hole,'' Darcy remembered suddenly. ''That thing that Jane was working on, the thing that led to all this...what if those blind spots and vortexes of power are happening again? It sure sounds like it. And this house,'' she continued, gesturing around. ''Since you've read it, I'm sure by now you've realized that it's almost identical to the one in my story. What I conceived of in my mind is becoming real...right down to...'' She motioned between their bodies.

''Perhaps,'' he said with a shrug. ''But there's _still_ something else going on, and it's centered here.''

''Come on,'' she said, abruptly getting to her feet. ''I need to clear my head, let's go swimming.'' Darcy wasn't sure where the idea came from, but it was a good one, she decided. It was a chance to get semi-clean, too. Or perhaps more dirty, depending. All sorts of naughty things could happen in a swimming pool, after all.

Loki's mind immediately flashed back to the memory of her stepping out of the pool, a memory that he'd preserved in very explicit detail. ''Alright,'' he agreed slowly, following her down the hall to the pool room, thinking that this could get _very_ interesting. He hoped that her mind was going in the same direction that his was. She seemed to have forgiven him for the discovery that she'd made earlier in the day, for which he was very grateful. For a minute he'd feared that she would be too furious to let him touch her again, and that would have been _extremely_ disappointing, as he was having a very good time with Darcy. He closed the door after they entered. They looked at each other for a minute. ''Take off your clothes,'' she said.

He smirked. ''You first.''

''Ok,'' she agreed grudgingly, and began pulling off her shirt.

''No,'' he told her. ''Do it slowly.''

Darcy rolled her eyes but then fell into the rhythm of a rather seductive striptease, the motions making her feel surprisingly powerful instead of awkward. There was heat sparking in Loki's eyes as he watched her body being revealed to him. When she was done she moved towards the pool. She stood on the top step then paused, putting her hands on her hips. ''Your turn, Mister. Let's go, take it off.''

She stared admiringly as he obliged her, until he was also naked. He walked over to her, gave her a wicked grin, and then unceremoniously shoved her into the water. Darcy popped up with a splash, her hair hanging into her face. ''Jerk,'' she muttered. ''And to think, I was going to be nice to you,'' she added as he joined her in the water. Loki raised an eyebrow. ''Oh, were you?''

''Yes, but now I'm not so sure.''

''I'll bet I can get you to change your mind,'' he said. ''I can be _very_ persuasive.''

''Oh yeah?'' she swam away from him. He caught her easily, pulling her against him, trapping her to his body so that she was once again facing away from him. Darcy huffed in annoyance. ''Why do you never let me look at you?'' she demanded.

''I want you to rely on your other senses,'' Loki answered. Though this was only half of the truth, and not a very large half, at that. Having her so close had made him completely hard now and so he nudged her legs open and slid his cock between them, not penetrating her but just teasingly stroking back and forth. She trembled at the friction, rocking against him, her body getting excited. His hold on her was tight, possessive, and it made Darcy feel strangely safe and _right_. One of his hands slid down and began to rub her swelling clitoris while he continued to slide his hard prick between her legs. The combined stimulation made her moan and then he added more, his other hand seeking out one of her breasts.

Darcy tried to squirm a little in his arms but Loki held her still. All the teasing touches were making her crazy, revving her up and giving her no release. The hand between her legs began to more more quickly, finally granting her some of what she needed. Her head fell back against him. ''Mmm... _yes_.'' She started wriggling her hips, trying to grind on his long fingers and his cock. Loki abruptly stopped, pulling his hand away.

''Hey!'' she cried, annoyed.

''Hey nothing,'' he replied. ''You have to learn to be patient, to wait for what you want. Haven't you ever heard of delayed gratification?''

She grunted in reply. He held her for another torturous minute, halting also the motions of his hips, just letting his erection rest between her legs. He kept fondling her breasts, though, simply because he couldn't help himself. She could feel his cool breath on her neck. Loki started kissing her, soft kisses at first like snowflakes landing on her skin but then more insistent. His mouth fastened against a spot where neck met shoulder, yet another spot that he decided to mark as his. He sucked at it as he pinched her nipple, hard, and then his teeth dug into her skin. The combined sensations weren't pain—at least not in the classical sense. Rather, it caused a hot rush of excited tingles to spill through Darcy like tiny lightning bolts, making her even more aroused. _'Yep_ ,' she thought to herself. _'I'm definitely a freak_.'

Loki's hand once again sought out the hungry place between her legs, manipulating her until she was close to orgasm again. He could feel how much she wanted him. Even in the water he could tell that she was soaking, and he couldn't wait to be inside of her—but he just couldn't resist teasing Darcy, he was addicted to this odd dance that they were doing. He released her neck from his teeth, a dark and primal satisfaction pounding through his blood at the sight of the mark that he'd left. He licked over the spot with his tongue, felt her body give a delicious twitch in response. He moved their bodies so that she was facing the wall of the pool. Pushing her legs open wider, he positioned the head of his cock at her entrance. ''Please,'' she begged. He slid in, but very slightly, so that only the tip of him breached her before he pulled out again.

''You've gotta be kidding me,'' she grumbled, one of her hands straying down towards her aching pussy, trying to get the relief he wasn't giving her.

''Don't you dare,'' Loki said in a warning tone. ''Put your hands on the wall.'' Darcy obeyed with some reluctance, holding onto the the side of the pool. She then felt the tip of him penetrate her again, very shallowly. She bit her lip but remained still.

''Are you going to be a good girl?'' he asked.

''Yes,'' she answered, then after a moment, prompted by some wicked impulse, she added, ''my lord.'' It worked, because he suddenly went feral, gripping her hips and thrusting fully into her. The ferocity both overwhelmed and excited her beyond belief. Darcy closed her eyes and let the sensation overtake her, the feeling of him plunging roughly and possessively in and out of her. It lit a fire in her lower belly that caught and spread through her overstimulated cunt, triggering a very sudden and very intense climax that almost caused Darcy to stop breathing for a moment. She felt him thrust more erratically, then Loki clutched her even harder, wrapping his arms around her, enveloping her body in a way that was tight and complete and utterly passionate. He bit her again, coming hard.

Once this acute frenzy had passed, he tried to catch his breath, still holding her. Loki seemed reluctant to let go and Darcy didn't mind at all. Truth be told, she was starting to like all of this a little too much. He pulled out of her and then gently turned her around. ''See me now?'' he said. He looked very proud of himself. She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. As much as she loved the things that they did, she _really_ wanted to fuck him face to face, from start to finish. She wanted to watch his reactions, his emotions—that is, if he was feeling any. Maybe, she wondered, maybe there was no intimacy in his actions at all, maybe they _were_ just to alleviate boredom. And yet. Something told her that wasn't true. There was something else there, some other, deeper motivation, she could just feel it. Darcy did not want to wander down this line of thinking, it was a dangerous, slippery slope. _It's just sex,_ she reminded herself. _Overwhelming, mind-shattering sex._

Loki returned the kiss. He quite liked her mouth, with her soft full lips and her eager little tongue. He broke away after a few moments of this, looking at her. Her eyes were bright and burning, her skin flushed and punctuated with dark love marks. She put her arms around his neck. ''I could get used to this,'' he said, startling himself a little with the words. Darcy smiled, but then said, ''You'll just get bored with me and then move on to something else.'' She spoke with a shrug and a casual edge in her voice, but the words still burned more than she cared to admit.

''I'm not done with you yet,'' he assured her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Hope you are all having a good weekend. Here's some more smut for ya. ;)**

* * *

''As...comfortable as that couch is,'' Loki said, once they had dried off and returned to the room after their 'swim', ''I'd like to sleep on a bed tonight.''

''Yeah,'' Darcy agreed, then asked, her voice full of awkward hesitation as she twirled a strand of still-damp hair around her finger, ''Can..can I sleep with you?''

He looked at her sideways. ''That's the general idea, yes. It would certainly be convenient.''

A smile crept over her mouth.''Yeah. I pick the room!'' she said, picking up her bag and darting down the hallway and up the stairs to the next floor, now seized by a giddy, stupid excitement. Darcy really hoped that didn't mean she was falling in love. That wouldn't be good. As she ran she chalked it up to feel-good chemicals in the brain released during sex. It would pass.

Loki chased after her. ''Nothing flowery!''

''Oh, I'm gonna pick the floweriest, fluffiest, pinkest...'' Darcy pulled open a door and then stopped dead. ''Scratch that,'' she said as she looked at the bedroom that was revealed to them. The king-sized bed was draped in black satin. The décor was gold and the walls and ceiling were absolutely covered in mirrors. ''Jackpot,'' she whispered. ''Indeed,'' he said, peering over her shoulder.

It had an adjoining bathroom, so she filled the old fashioned claw-footed tub, needing to wash the sex and chlorine from her skin. Once it was full, Darcy sank gratefully into the hot water. Her body was rather sore, but she didn't mind. In fact, this new bedroom was giving her all kinds of ideas and she couldn't wait for what she hoped would be round three (and maybe four and five.) She shook her head, realising that she was rapidly turning into some kind of...of what? Darcy supposed that her new sexual fervour had to do with the fact that she was finally getting some, but in reality it had more to do with the person she was getting it _from_. Loki made her feel like no other man ever had, but she'd never met a man like him. Maybe that was because there _were_ no men like him. She sighed and sank down further into the water. Closing her eyes, she could now hear sleet pounding on the roof, punctuated occasionally by bits of hail. The snow had stopped, but sometime during their activities in the pool it had morphed into a massive ice storm. Darcy secretly hoped that this meant that they wouldn't be able to leave right away.

* * *

Loki now sat on the bed, thinking. He had just gotten off the phone with Nick Fury. It had taken some negotiating, but he finally managed to convince the Director to let them stay. Because of the snow and now the ice storm, SHIELD wouldn't be able to haul away the wreckage immediately anyhow; they were lacking in available personnel at the moment, and it certainly wasn't their top priority. He'd covered it with a tarp, but Loki wasn't sure how much damage exposure to the elements would cause. Since it had been exposed to _space_ and then the trauma of reentering the atmosphere, he hoped that a little snow and ice wouldn't bother it.

They had apparently been hit with one of the earliest and most severe storms that the UK had experienced in over a century. Loki was very grateful for this, because he wanted more time with Darcy. She was quickly becoming an addiction. What would happen when they returned from this assignment? What was this between them, what was it becoming? More importantly, what did he _want_ it to become? He decided not to think too much about it and to remain in the moment. As he looked around at the room full of mirrors, his reflection peered back at him from all different angles. There were so many possibilities here and they were causing significant distraction, but he didn't care. They had more time now, after all.

He pulled up her story on his laptop again, unable to help himself. Now Loki was seeing it all in a slightly different light. So he had been Mr. Lamont since the beginning. Darcy had been picturing him like this for some time, perhaps even fantasising about him. About _him._ He'd certainly never expected to be a muse for anyone's erotic stories. It made him want to give her more to write about. He had never met anyone like Darcy before, she awoke a _need_ in him. He'd always wanted power. To be a ruler. To be respected...loved...but that was too much to ask for. He would never be loved and adored. Contrary to popular belief, Loki didn't necessarily desire to be _feared_ , but sometimes that was the only way. But she wanted _him_. And he in turn wanted her, wanted to keep this cycle going, giving her things that nobody ever had before and knowing that. Drinking in all of her sighs and begging and moans. Darcy wanted to see him, know him. Now the only fear was that he might actually show her.

As he read, Loki's eye caught on something: the date. 1835. There was something about that year... He pulled out one of the scientist's notebooks that they had brought upstairs with them, then laughed aloud. The most instances of phenomena associated with the so-called vortex of power all occurred during that year. And then, of course, there had also been the notable sighting of Halley's Comet.

He got off of the bed and walked into the bathroom, where Darcy lay half-submerged in the tub, looking quite relaxed. Or at least she did until she heard him enter. ''Hey!'' she exclaimed, her eyes flying open. ''Don't you _knock_?''

''It's nothing I haven't seen before,''he said dismissively, though he did let his eyes linger awhile on her. ''Was there any particular reason that you chose the year 1835 for the setting of your story?''

Darcy thought about it for a moment. ''No. Not really. It was just...the year that felt right.''

''Hmm.''

''Why?''

''Just a few more coincidences,'' he replied. ''The notebooks have a lot of entries from that particular year. In fact, it may have been the last time that something like this happened.''

'' _Weird._ Now get outta here and let me finish my bath.''

''Alright. But no,'' he wiggled his fingers in a suggestive motion, ''funny business. I'll know.''

''Just get out, perv,'' she told him with a roll of her eyes. He departed, closing the door behind him, and she smiled.

* * *

After several more minutes in the tub Darcy finally decided that she was clean enough. She wandered out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel then picked up her suitcase and tossed it onto the bed. The room was empty, Loki seemed to have disappeared again, as was his habit. Opening the suitcase, she pulled out the one really nice bra and underwear set that she owned, made of black lace and silk. She'd never had occasion to wear it before, but this trip was turning out to have a lot of firsts in it, so she figured that she might as well. When she removed the garments, she saw that something had been tucked underneath. Darcy's eyebrows went up in surprise as she realized what it was: the riding crop that she'd had behind her bed. Loki must have slipped it in while she wasn't looking. ''Sneaky bastard,'' she whispered, though she had to give him points for thinking ahead. Removing it from the suitcase, she boldly sat it on one of the pillows. She put on the underwear and then decided, on impulse, to not get fully dressed and instead she pulled out her robe and wrapped it around herself.

Her stomach growled and Darcy realised that she was getting very hungry, so she decided to visit the kitchen again. The pantry was stocked with all sorts of ingredients and so was the enormous refrigerator, but she wasn't exactly in the mood to play Iron Chef at the moment. She needed something quick and easy. Opening the freezer, she glimpsed a few boxes of frozen pizza. That would do. Pulling one out, she set it on the counter while she looked for a cooking sheet. The oven, though also very fancy like the rest of the equipment in the kitchen, was easy enough to figure out and while she waited for the pizza to heat up she sat on one of the stools at the counter and wrote in her notebook. As Darcy chewed the cap of her pen and tried to figure out the last few chapters of her story, she was roused from thought by footsteps behind her. ''Loki?'' she said, turning around.

''No, ma'am, just Ned I'm afraid,'' answered Ned Abernathy with an apologetic, weird smile. Darcy pulled her robe more tightly around her shoulders. The caretaker was definitely not someone that she wanted to have a wardrobe malfunction in front of. ''Hey Ned,'' she said, attempting to be friendly. He spied her notebook, the pen in her hand. ''Are you a writer?'' he asked, his eyes lighting up. ''Yes,'' she said, as if deciding it at that moment. ''I am.''

''I'm a writer myself. I've written over thirty _Star Trek_ fan fictions and twelve for _Doctor Who_ ,'' Ned announced, beaming with pride.

''That's very impressive,'' Darcy told him politely.

''Well,'' he said, blinking his beady eyes, ''I had better be getting on. Lots of work to do. This storm is really something, eh?''

''Sure is.''

''Stay warm, ma'am,'' Ned told her, and then walked away, whistling the theme from _Doctor Who._

Darcy shook her head and then went to the oven. The pizza was just about done, so she turned it off. While she was searching in the cabinets for plates, she came across a small cupboard stashed with junk food. ''Score!'' she exclaimed, pulling out a package of Oreo cookies. After getting everything carefully balanced in her arms she headed back upstairs.

When she walked into the room she saw that Loki had returned. ''I brought food!'' she announced.

He looked up at her from where he was sitting on the bed. ''That's not food,'' he replied, eyeing the offerings with distrust.

''Well, it's all we got unless you want to go down to the kitchen and actually _cook_ something,'' she said, sitting down on the bed and biting into a slice of pizza. ''See, I know this place isn't really magical because it if was, there would be singing, dancing silverware and furniture to cook dinner,'' she joked.

He looked puzzled. ''Why would the furniture sing and dance?''

'' _Beauty and the Beast_ , you know.. _.be our guest, be our guest_ ,'' she sang. ''No?'' He was looking at her like she'd grown a second head. ''Dude, seriously? Ok, when we get back home, I'm making you watch it.''

Loki stared at her expectantly. ''What?'' she asked with her mouth full.

''I'm waiting for you to tell me what it's about,'' he replied as he tentatively lifted a slice of pizza and examined it.

Darcy chewed and swallowed. ''Oh yeah, duh. I just assumed you knew. I sometimes forget that you're not from here. Anyhow, it's a fairy tale, there's different cultural variations of it, but the basic story goes like this: there's a beautiful woman who's imprisoned by a beast in his castle, 'cept he's not an ordinary beast, he's actually a handsome prince or whatever, but he's got a spell on him. So, long story short—she sees the inner beauty in him, he learns not to be such a dick, true love, kiss, blah blah, spell is lifted and he turns back into a handsome prince. And in the Disney version there's lots of singing and dancing—but I didn't really like the ending in that one. You'll see. That prince was a lame-ass. He was way better as a beast.''

He was giving her another odd look, now.

''By the way,'' Darcy said, around another huge mouthful of cheese and pepperoni, ''what's your deal?''

''My deal?''

''Yeah. The blue thing. What is it? Did someone put a curse on you, too?''

''I used to think so,'' Loki replied, and she noticed a very bitter edge to the words.''It's...well, I suppose it's how I really look, although I've been in this form for so long that it feels much more natural.'' He bit into the piece of pizza, finally, after several minutes of studying it, and chewed slowly as if bracing to be disgusted. Then his face relaxed. ''Not overly dreadful. Alright, so, I am actually a frost giant. Thor is not really my brother, nor Odin my father. I was...adopted when I was a baby, and raised to believe that I was Asgardian. I have a natural shapeshifting ability, which made it easy to spend my whole life in a disguise. And I never even knew, until...well, that's another story. You're somewhere in that one, I believe, but our paths hadn't crossed yet.''

''Wow,'' Darcy said, taking all of this in. ''Well, I dig it, and I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. Blue is in here. _Avatar_ , _X-Men_...blue people are hot. It's not just for smurfs anymore.''

Loki shook his head. ''You are...odd.''

''Yes, I am,'' she said proudly, picking up the package of Oreos and opening it.

''Are those good?'' he asked, watching her eagerly tear away the wrapping.

''Are you kidding me? They're fantastic! You've seriously never eaten an Oreo before? Ok, here,'' Darcy handed him one and then took another for herself. ''Here's what you do. There's lots of ways to eat them, but this is the best way: you twist off the top part, like so,'' she demonstrated, ''and then you eat that real quick to get it out of the way and then you eat the delicious side with all the cream on it.'' She chewed and sighed with delight. ''Yeah, that's the stuff.''

''You might be onto something there,'' Loki agreed. Then he said, ''I almost forgot. I have something.'' He reached over the side of the bed and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. ''Where did you get that?'' Darcy asked, impressed.

''Wine cellar,'' he replied, opening the bottle and pouring some for them. ''I went and got it while you were finishing your bath.''

She accepted the glass he offered. ''Nice.''

Loki leaned back against the headboard and stared at her for a long moment, a kind of contemplative half-smile on his face.''So,'' he said finally, ''have you written other stories?''

She nodded. ''Yeah. A few.''

''And are they of a...similar nature to the one I read?''

''Uh-huh. They're not all necessarily historical, but they're all...pretty smutty,'' admitted Darcy.

''What makes you write that?'' Loki wondered. ''Is it to express some unfulfilled desires?''

''I guess if you want to get psychological about it,'' she replied, not necessarily wanting to go into explicit detail about her unfulfilled desires. ''On a more basic level, I _like_ reading stories with lots of sex, personally. It's not everyone's thing, but I really enjoy it, so that's what I started writing. And then I suppose, yeah, as I wrote more it became an outlet, a way to explore different fantasies.''

''What are some of your fantasies?'' he pressed.

Balking a little at the question, Darcy took a very large sip of wine. It tasted expensive.

Loki seemed amused at her discomfort. ''Don't get shy _now_. Here's your chance. I assure you, I've been around for a long time, nothing that you say is going to shock me or disgust me. It might very well be something that I'd like, too.''

After yet another sip, she took a deep breath and spoke. ''I...well, the spanking, that was one. I like that. Being tied up, being held down, sometimes. I like having my hair pulled, I like...I like it when you bite me,'' Darcy told him. Her face had gone red, but she told herself that it was the wine, not the subject matter. If she could write about such things, she should certainly be able to talk about them without blushing like a schoolgirl.

''You like being dominated?''

''Yeah, I guess. But only in certain ways, certain times.'' She scrunched up her face. ''Is that weird? Am I making sense?''

''I'm getting more of a clear picture,'' Loki answered with a nod. ''I think it's something that we can figure out along the way, where exactly your limits are, through some experimentation. And no, it's not weird.''

The riding crop was still lying on the pillow where she'd left it. Loki picked it up, ran his fingers along it. ''Do you want me to use this on you?''

Darcy's heart thudded wildly as she swallowed hard and nodded.

''Have you ever been hit with an object like this before?''

''No.'' She looked down at the bedspread. His gaze was very deep and searching and she was almost afraid to meet it.

''Look at me,'' he said, and something in his voice made her obey instantly, even as his green, green eyes made her shiver. ''It's going to feel different than my hand. It's going to be much more intense, you understand that, right?''

''Yes.''

''If you don't like it, tell me, and we'll stop.''

''We should have a safe word,'' Darcy decided as she reached for another Oreo to calm her nerves.

''What's that?''

''A word that you wouldn't normally say during sex, so the other person knows that it's too much or whatever. It's like a code.''

''What do you want your word to be?''

She thought about it, then said the first, most random thing that popped into her mind. ''Visigoth.''

''That's certainly _unusual_ ,'' Loki said, blinking. ''What is it?''

''Barbarian tribe from way back in the day. They sacked Rome a whole bunch, were really into pillaging and all that stuff.''

''Fine. If you discover that you're...getting sacked or pillaged too hard, then you say 'Visigoth.' ''

Darcy nodded again, then picked up the plates and the rest of the cookies. ''I'm going to go put these back in the kitchen.''

* * *

The walk gave her a few minutes to compose herself. Her blood felt too hot, like it was simmering in anticipation. She threw away what was left of the pizza (which wasn't much, she had been starving and also figured that she would need carbs for...activity.) Now those activities in question were apparently only a few minutes away and she was reduced to feeling like a shy virgin rather than the seductive sex goddess that she'd hoped to be. '' _Get it together_ ,'' she scolded herself. '' _Consider it research. You're going to write more stories, maybe even a book. And it'll be a best-seller and then you'll be able to quit SHIELD_.'' This seemed a bit of a stretch, to be sure, but it was a nice thought. It gave her the courage to climb back up the stairs and open the door.

Darcy was greeted with several reflections of herself from each of the walls. Loki was sitting on the edge of the bed. She walked over and stood in front of him. He reached out and undid the tie at the front of her robe, letting it fall open and then pushing it off of her shoulders.''As lovely as this is,'' he said, running his long, pale fingers over the black lace that enclosed her breasts, ''you won't be needing it.'' He reached around and unclasped the garment, letting it fall away. In the mirror, Darcy's reflection stared back at her, nervous and flush-faced, naked from the waist up, only another small scrap of fabric concealing the rest of her. Loki stood and moved behind her so that she could see his face too, see what he was doing. Both sets of their eyes followed his movements as his hand skimmed down over her stomach and then lower as his fingers found the edge of her lace underwear and then disappeared beneath it. Darcy sucked in a breath as she felt them eagerly seeking, rubbing her until she bucked her hips against his hand, her knees shaking. Somehow watching it happen only heightened the sensation. Watching her body respond, the sight of his wicked fingers moving under the fabric as she squirmed was deliciously obscene.

He knew that she liked it, the minute she'd started watching in the mirror she'd gotten even wetter. ''It arouses you, doesn't it?'' asked Loki. ''Watching what I do to you, seeing how much you like it.''

She nodded. He ceased his motions then tipped her back onto the bed and pulled her underwear off. ''Sit up on the edge,'' he instructed as he peeled off his shirt and then sat behind her. ''Now spread your legs. Take a good look at yourself.'' Darcy was, admittedly, just a little shy at first. She'd never gotten quite so up close and personal with herself before. Obviously she knew what she looked like 'down there' but seeing it in a large mirror, in a situation like this, was a little different. Loki smiled, then his fingers found her again. She watched, mesmerized, as he touched her, displaying her for the both of them.

''See how excited this is making you?'' he said, eyes glittering with lust. ''Yes,'' she whispered. Darcy _could_ see, saw the wetness glistening on her swollen pink flesh, ripening more and more beneath him. Her nipples were hard, stiff points and a fine sheen of sweat had begun to glitter on her face and chest. Her eyes were alight with a soft fire. She looked feverish. As he pushed a finger deeply inside of her, she cried out. Instinctively, she tried to clamp her legs around him but he held her open, his other hand on her thigh, keeping her in this position, making her watch as he slid the digit in and out and then added a second. She saw her skin flush harder, her pupils dilate, her breathing increase. His gaze never broke from hers. In the mirror they remained locked to each other. Loki seemed very determined. Darcy felt that familiar heat and tension begin to throb deep inside of her. ''That's it. So close. I can feel you.'' She closed her eyes.

''No,'' he ordered, his voice jarring. ''Keep them _open_. Watch yourself come for me.''

Then she did, it rolled over her in waves. She witnessed the expressions playing over her face, her legs jerking convulsively as he continued to plunder her with his fingers. She scarcely recognized herself.

''Good girl,'' he whispered approvingly as the tremors subsided. He brought his fingers up to her lips, coated in her come. ''Taste,'' he said. ''And watch while you do.''

' _Oh well_ ,' she thought, _' 'know thyself', and all that.'_ She closed her mouth over the offering and sucked. It wasn't bad, she decided. Sort of tangy, salty-sweet.

Loki's eyes grew even darker and then he said, ''time to play a game now, darling.''


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone, sorry for the late update! Hope that you are all doing well and that you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Darcy drew in a deep breath, then nodded. Anticipation swarmed through her; the look in Loki's glittering green eyes made her throb between the legs. ''Get in the middle of the bed,'' he ordered, his voice taking on a more authoritative tone. ''On your knees, head down. Hands behind your back.''

She complied with his instructions, getting into position with her head bent down against the sheets, her ass in the air, on display. Then she felt something wind around her hands, tying them together. ''While your hands are tied, you're mine,'' he told her. ''You do what I say.''

Loki smoothed Darcy's long hair out of the way, and then ran the riding crop gently along her back, watching her shiver as he did so. He found the small motion very beautiful. And he couldn't wait to get started, he was now filled with a dark hunger, building like a storm. ''Do you understand?''

''Yes my lord,'' she answered softly, knowing that he apparently liked being addressed that way. And it seemed appropriate, given the situation. ''I am,'' he said. ''I am your lord, and you need to learn to be obedient.''

Darcy felt the bed shift as he situated himself. ''I'm going to give you three to start off with, do you understand?''

''Yes,'' came her response.

''Yes what?''

''Yes, my lord.'' She waited, her heart thudding heavily in her ears. Then came a sharp, stinging burn as the riding crop struck her waiting flesh. Darcy gasped and shifted forward reflexively.

''Hold still or you get more!'' Loki snarled, the tone of his voice made something hot and shadowy slither through her blood and pool in her belly. ''Do you understand?''

''Yes!'' she cried out.

''Yes _what_?'' He struck her again. Darcy forced herself not to move. It was difficult to describe exactly what it felt like; a pain that wasn't quite pain, one that made her feel...charged, like electricity. ''Yes, my lord,'' she corrected breathlessly, and then groaned as she received another blow. She bit her lip. There was something very invigorating and exciting about all of this, being at Loki's mercy, hearing him speak to her in such a way. It was..good.

One more came. Her skin was now crawling with fire. Then Darcy felt his cool hand on her back again, and then on her ass, smoothing over the red marks there. ''You've been a very good girl,'' he told her. He leaned down and blew on her skin, the icy air sending soothing tingles through her. Goosebumps rose on her flesh and she whimpered. Then she felt his long fingers between her legs. Loki was delighted to find that she was very wet. ''You liked that, didn't you?'' he purred, probing at her folds.

''Yes, my lord,'' she whispered.

''You're a natural at this,'' he told her, sounding pleased. ''Made to be dominated. You look so beautiful on your knees.'' It was a strange compliment, but it still made a warm feeling pool low in her core. Loki stopped teasing her, then lifted her up. Darcy could see her face in the mirror, flushed and wild. Out of the corner of her eye in one of the others on the opposite wall she noticed the marks left along her pale skin. And then she caught a glimpse of the look in Loki's eyes—all fire and ice, with something simmering there that caught her off guard, an emotion that she couldn't pin a name to. But it was beautiful, and Darcy knew that she was the cause of it. She wanted to see it again.

With slow and deliberate motions he undid the front of his pants and pulled out his now very hard cock. She eyed it eagerly, marvelling again at the size, her sex clenching in anticipation. Loki untied her hands. The experience had definitely left Darcy with much to think about, but right now she was too busy focusing on what was literally right in front of her face. She eagerly wrapped her lips around him and sucked almost desperately, using her lips and tongue and hands, employing every trick she knew. But she didn't need many, she found, Darcy just naturally wanted to feel him, to taste and explore him. His fingers dug into her scalp as she looked over at their reflection in one of the mirrors, watched herself as she pleasured him, her mouth sliding over that massive organ. She'd never seen herself this way before.

Loki saw her looking, watched as their eyes met in the mirror and he thrust a little deeper into her mouth. She forced the back of her throat to relax as she took more of him. She was unbelievable. What a curious and utterly sensual being he had discovered.

''That's enough,'' he said, pulling away, albeit very reluctantly. ''Put your hands in front of you. I've untied you but I haven't released you. You're still mine.'' Darcy's fingers dug into the blankets as braced herself. He moved behind her again, nudging her legs further apart; this time she could see him. He held her hips steady as he pushed into her. She moaned eagerly, and Loki chuckled, a very dangerous smile gleaming on his face.

He grabbed her hair and roughly pulled so that Darcy was forced to stare directly into the mirror and watch. A hum of anticipation fell over the room like a curtain. And then Loki changed right before her eyes, allowing her to witness the metamorphosis, the rapid crawl of blue over his skin as if a layer were being peeled away. There he was, that beautiful monster lurking underneath. Darcy couldn't look away. She didn't want to.

Cold and deep and sudden, that delightful shock, the sense of aching fullness. One of his icy hands held onto her hair still with a tight grip, the other rested on her waist, steadying her body as he rammed into her. ''Is that what you wanted?'' he demanded. ''To see me?''

''Yes, my lord,'' she gasped out.

''Watch, then. Watch while I make you scream for me.'' Loki pulled her hair harder as she kept her eyes on the mirror, the strange yet tantalizing picture that they made, the juxtaposition of their bodies. She, too, looked very wicked. They looked like a painting of some dark, long-forgotten myth. Darcy didn't mind. Loki was so fascinating, so exciting in his otherness. He was so big and powerful, she looked and felt very small in comparison, overwhelmed by him. ''Who do you belong to?''

''Y—you, my lord!''

Climax began to well up from inside of her, bright pleasure that tingled and throbbed. He was still fucking her ruthlessly, there was a possessive fervour within his movements that overwhelmed her—she was being devoured. It crashed through Darcy like a cold flood as scream tore from her lips. ''That's it, that's my good girl,'' he hissed. ''Say how much you love being fucked by your king.''

''I love it, I love it when you fuck me, my king, my lord, I do, I do...''

White hot and freezing, flashing like lightning inside of her blood, she kept coming, trying to keep her eyes open, keep them focused on their reflection; their gazes met again and then Loki came, digging his fingers into her hip, crying out, overwhelmed by the sudden jolt to his senses that was emotional as well as physical. Darcy breathed hard, her head bent down, sweat dotting her chest and forehead even through she was shivering. He let go of her hair, smoothed fingers over her shoulders and back, pressing a lingering kiss against her neck.

He turned her around so that she was facing him. The blue faded and he reverted back. Darcy put her arms around his neck. Loki's visage was now not quite so menacing. He had released her fully now, he was no longer her lord or her king, just her...her what? Her coworker with benefits? Her friend? Or just _hers_. That sounded nice, Darcy decided. ''I don't want to go back,'' she blurted suddenly, surprised by her honesty.

''Why not?'' he asked.

A sigh escaped her lips, and then she answered, ''Because then everything will go back to the way it was. We won't be working together anymore. You'll forget about me.''

''You really don't have a high opinion of me if you think that,'' Loki said, sounding mildly offended. ''I don't intend to forget you, quite the opposite. I rather like this...thing, this game that we play. Don't you?''

She nodded. ''Yes. I do.''

''So going back doesn't mean that it has to end, quite the opposite. It's just starting. There are so many things that I am going to do to you, you can't even imagine,'' he whispered, leaning closer, his lips less than a breath from hers. ''I haven't been this excited about life in a long time.'' Darcy smiled at this, allowed herself a quick moment of believing that he was telling the truth.

''You're freezing,'' Loki said, noticing that her shoulders were trembling and her skin was cold to the touch. ''Come on.'' He pulled down the bed covers and then moved her, laying her down and tucking her in underneath them. ''Thanks,'' she whispered, curling her body and pulling the blankets up to her chin. ''Get in with me.''

''What?''

Darcy rolled her eyes. ''Get in under the covers with me.''

He obligingly slid in beside her, spooned up with his arm draped securely around her, letting himself drown in the smell of her hair and skin. ''Better?'' Loki asked softly.

''Yes.'' She grinned stupidly to herself as she stopped shivering, felt warm and blissful, her limbs tied together with soft threads of happiness. Darcy shifted and her skin still stung; she was reminded of her punishment. It filled her with a curious sense of completeness, as did the feeling of Loki's body against hers, just the two of them together, quiet and breathing. Once again, she really hoped that didn't mean she was falling in love.

* * *

 _Violet was standing at the end of a hallway, in front of a door. She reached out for the knob, hesitating for a moment. Beside her, Mr. Lamont nodded encouragingly. ''But I'm afraid,'' she said. ''There are so many things that could go wrong. So many ways that this could end.''_

 _''All things end, my dear,'' he replied, his voice surprisingly gentle._

 _''Yes, but I want the ending where we stay together.'' She bit her lip, hating the way she was overcome with sentimentality, letting her feelings get the better of her. ''Then that is the one you must choose.'' He nodded towards the door._

* * *

It was quiet when Loki woke, an apprehensive quiet, like a breath being held. It made him wary. He climbed out of bed and went over to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, he saw that the snow and sleet had stopped, but the sky was a strange heavy shade, a somber green-grey. ''Whatever next?'' he wondered aloud softly. Then he turned around to study the woman laying in bed. His heart gave a weird lurch, and he wasn't sure what that meant. It was a new feeling, one that made him feel strangled, but not in a bad way. Just...breathless. He tucked the emotion away, to be pondered on later. They had work to do now, they had played long enough, and the clock was running down.

Darcy blinked her eyes open. ''Morning,'' she said when she noticed him standing there, her gaze running approvingly over his naked body. ''I don't want to get up but I have to, right?'' Loki nodded. ''I'm afraid so. We need to get this business wrapped up, we have to leave tonight. I fear that the Director's patience is wearing thin. And I don't like the look of the sky.'' Darcy sat up and craned her neck to look out the window. ''Yeah, it's...a weird colour,'' she observed, frowning.

She climbed out of bed and, after managing to locate her underwear, got dressed quickly. ''You look super nice and put-together,'' she grumbled, taking in Loki's appearance. ''I look like I've been...'' she studied her appearance in the mirror, trying to find a sufficient word. ''Sacked? Pillaged? Plundered?'' he helpfully supplied with a grin. ''All of the above,'' Darcy replied, dragging a brush through her hair, the pull reminding her of his fingers, making her shiver. Then she remembered something. ''Oh, hey...I don't know if this means anything, but I had another dream about Violet and Mr. Lamont. They were standing in front of a door, and he told her to open it. I think...I think it was a door in this house.''

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. ''Do you think that you can find it?'' he asked. Darcy nodded, motioning for him to follow her. ''C'mon.''

Some intuition led her down the opposite hall, a way that they hadn't really walked before. At the end, there was a door, and it looked very familiar indeed. _I can't believe this_ , Darcy thought to herself. ''Yep, it's this one. It's locked,'' she said with disappointment after trying the knob. Loki rolled his eyes and kicked it, hard. The door swung open. ''Stealthy,'' she muttered. ''Well, we're a bit pressed for time,'' he explained.

It was a large room. Inside was some kind of laboratory, there were computers and hi-tech monitoring equipment similar to what Jane used, but there were also other more bizarre things like old tomes and candles and, eerily enough, what looked like small animal skulls. ''What's been going on in here?'' she asked, making a face.

''I think we may have found the source of the problem,'' Loki answered. Then something on the desk caught his eye, a small figurine that seemed out of place amongst all the other objects. He picked it up, frowning. Darcy recognized it instantly. ''A Dalek!'' she exclaimed.

''A what?''

''A Dalek!'' she took it from him and waved it in his face, chanting ''Exterminate! Exterminate!''

''Please elaborate,'' he said, trying to be patient.

''It's from _Doctor Who_! Ned writes _Doctor Who_ fanfiction. You were right. I think it is him.''

Loki was now drawn to something on one of the screens. ''What?'' Darcy asked, noticing that his expression had gone rather grim. ''I think we might have underestimated Ned,'' he said. ''Another event is going to occur, very soon by the looks of this, but...whatever he's trying, it isn't going to work. It's going to do a lot of damage, though, much worse than we've already seen.''

A chill swept over Darcy. ''Can we stop it?''

''I don't know.''


	13. Chapter 13

''What _exactly_ is happening?'' Darcy asked, trying to quell the fear that was rapidly climbing up into her throat, threatening to choke her. ''Can you be any more specific?''

''He's trying to manifest something...but it's requiring too much energy. He's going to rip a hole.'' Loki tried to keep his voice even as he explained. ''Chaos and destruction will follow, the balance of this world will be upset so greatly that they'll possibly even feel it on Asgard.''

''Not good!'' cried Darcy, emphatically stating the obvious. ''Can you tell what it is that he's trying to pull down?''

''No, not definitively—but it's something that is not supposed to be in this particular place and time. It's something that is otherwise fixed, making its presence here and now so unnatural that it will yank everything else awry.''

Darcy closed her eyes and tried to think. ''Goddamnit, Ned,'' she muttered savagely. ''If I was a massive nerd, what would I want to see most...hmmm...the TARDIS!'' she yelped, her eyes flying open.

''Keep thinking,'' Loki told her through clenched teeth.

''The Starship Enterprise!''

''Think more _realistically,_ please!'' he yelled, and she couldn't help but laugh. ''Yes, because all of this is so very _realistic_ ,'' Darcy said sarcastically. ''Let's look in the observatory. There's that huge telescope there, maybe we'll be able to see something.''

''Fine,'' agreed Loki, seeing no other options at present, ''but I thought you said that these phenomena don't like being observed?''

''I think...I think maybe it seems that way because they're not where they're supposed to _be_ ,'' she explained as they left the room and walked down the hall, astonishing herself with the realization. Pieces were falling together in her mind in a strange way that she had not been prepared for, though not enough pieces for form a complete picture. ''All of the events are connected, connected to this place, to what Ned is trying to do. I think that he's been planning it for awhile, and those other events, the meteor shower, the satellite falling, that was just the warm-up.''

She pushed open the door to the observatory and they entered the large space. Darcy immediately headed over to the old telescope. On closer inspection, she noted, it looked uncannily like the one from her dream, the one she had written about in her story. Details that exact could not be a coincidence, she had been led here somehow, she just didn't know why. ''Wish I could write my way out of this one,'' she thought to herself as she settled her body on the seat and angled herself to that she could peer through the lens. She shifted a little, wincing as she was reminded of the soreness on her ass from the riding crop the night before, and her face reddened as she realized that the sensation was not altogether unpleasant.

Loki was twitchy now, almost enraged at his inability to figure out something constructive. He paced the floor and then stopped and let his eyes fix on Darcy. And he didn't know why, but suddenly, in a bizarre fit of honesty, he said ''I was the one who had you stay behind when Jane was sent to New Mexico. I orchestrated it so that you would work with me.''

Darcy pulled her gaze away from the lens and looked at him curiously. ''Why?'' she asked.

''Because I was interested in you. I read your story, as you know. I figured out that it was probably you who wrote it, and I wanted to learn more about you.''

She smiled. ''It's kinda sweet that you would go to all that trouble just to know me. I almost had a heart attack when Natasha brought me to your office.''

''Was I everything that you hoped I would be?'' he asked dryly.

''Yes and no,'' Darcy answered. ''You were different than I expected in many ways.''

''How so?''

''I never thought that we'd have this much _fun_ together,'' she confessed. ''I never thought I'd like you quite so much. Sex...sure...that was...yeah...but just _you_ , you know? Talking and laughing and figuring things out. Solving mysteries and shit. We're...good.''

Her rambling words filled Loki with an unexpected warmth. He walked towards her very slowly and then knelt down, his fingers going to the button at the top of her jeans and then easing the zipper down. ''Hey, what are you doing?'' she demanded.

''Isn't it rather obvious?''

''Well, yes...but... _now_?''

He shrugged. ''Unless you can suddenly come up with a better plan.''

''We should be trying to figure out a solution,'' she said, even as her control began to wane and her mind grew foggy with desire.

''Oh, I am,'' he said, easing her pants and underwear down her legs.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ''I don't think that you're going to find it there.''

''You never know,'' he said, and she felt his breath against her and then his mouth. A tremor ran through her body. If the world was going to end, or come damn close to it, then Darcy supposed she should enjoy her final hours. And then it occurred to her suddenly how very familiar all of this seemed. It was from her story. Violet was looking through the telescope, Mr. Lamont was busy between her legs...Violet had seen a bright flash of light go shooting across the sky. Darcy's mind was once again trying to bring all the pieces together, but it was rather difficult with what Loki was doing to her, the gentle yet very hungry motions of his tongue. She really, really hoped that the world didn't end, because she wanted a whole lot more of this. A whole lot more of them, together. And she still had a story to finish. Flash of light... It suddenly made sense. A comet! Halley's Comet, the observatory, 1835—Ned was trying to see Halley's Comet! A fixed event that only appeared at certain times. Yes!

Then victory was overwhelmed by ecstasy and she was yelling _yes_ for an entirely different reason. The orgasm was so fierce that her whole body spasmed and jerked; her arm shot out and crashed against one of the levers on the telescope. Suddenly, the whole contraption shifted its angle so that it was pointing in a different direction that it had been a moment before.

''Oops,'' she said, panting.

''I doubt you could have made anything _worse_ ,'' Loki told her, lazily licking the taste of her from his lips. Then his eyes grew wide with some sudden illumination. He got to his feet and hurried out of the room without a word. ''Wait for me!'' she yelled, struggling to pull up her underwear and pants and make herself decent. _Why did I have to fall for someone so unpredictable_ , Darcy lamented. She found him back in Ned's room, staring in wonder at the readings on the screens. ''It stopped,'' he said.

''What do you mean?''

''The telescope! It's not an ordinary telescope. It's a transmitter,'' he told her. ''It was what Ned was using to call forth what he wanted through the vortex. But it was all dependent on positioning and timing.''

''That's right,'' said a stricken voice from the doorway. They both turned to see Ned there, his face red, looking as if he was about to cry. ''That's bloody right. Do you have any idea how many hours I spend on calculations, on getting everything exactly perfect for this? This was my chance, today, and now you've ruined it!'' He began to weep unattractively.

''Pull yourself together,'' Loki said, looking disgusted. Ned only cried harder. He turned to Darcy. ''When you finish your story,'' he told her, ''please come up with a better villain.''

* * *

Several hours and many phone calls later, the few extra SHIELD agents that could be spared were combing the grounds of the estate and confiscating evidence, something that they did very well, Darcy knew. Ned Abernathy was standing sheepishly beside a van with his hands cuffed. They took a few minutes to interrogate him before he was hauled away and became someone else's problem.

''Let me get this straight,'' Darcy said, voice laced with disbelief, ''You used the vortex of power because you wanted to see Halley's Comet?''

He nodded.

''But...why?'' It seemed a more than appropriate question.

Ned shrugged. ''I've always been fascinated by it. I didn't want to die without ever having seen it. It came around once in 1986 but I was young then, and interested in other things. I didn't even know what I had missed. As I grew, I became obsessed with astronomy and with comets in particular, that's why I took the job here. I went through all the notebooks...and then I found that hidden room. It was as though it called to me. I could be like them, like those great scientists of the past, I could continue their work. And now I had a chance, so... I mean, wouldn't you have taken the chance? If someone told you that you could have something that you wanted that badly? Wouldn't you risk a few consequences to have it?''

''You'd do to be a little more discerning with your risk-taking,'' Loki told him. ''You could very well have brought about the destruction of this planet.''

''Well, you'd ought to be a little more discreet with your activities in an old house where noise carries,'' Ned said wryly. ''Going at it like a couple of wild animals, the pair of you. She's a loud one, she is,'' he added with a nod in Darcy's direction. Then he looked back at Loki. ''What's your secret, mate?''

Darcy's mouth dropped open in mild outrage, but then she just started to laugh.

''Get him out of here before I kill him,'' Loki told the agent who had returned to haul Ned away.

After laughing for another minute, Darcy managed to compose herself and said, ''That was the single nerdiest excuse for getting into the occult that I've ever heard. Not money, not power, not sex, no—he wanted to see an old-ass rock go streaking across the sky.''

''We all have our things.''

''Yeah. Speaking of which...'' Darcy dragged the toe of her shoe through the snow that still remained on the ground, studying the melting mess of white for a moment, then gathered her courage and met Loki's eyes. ''Have you given any more thought to us, you know...when we get back home?''

He thought about it for a moment. ''Do you want to write more stories?'' he asked.

''Yeah,'' she answered, smiling. ''I think I kinda have a knack for it.''

''Well then, I suppose that I should continue to offer inspiration.''

Her smile grew wider. ''And I should continue to make sure that you don't get bored. If you think about it,'' she added, ''I'm doing the world a service, really, by keeping you out of trouble.''

Loki smirked. ''How altruistic of you.''

''Well, I've always been a giver.'' She slid her arm through his.


	14. Chapter 14

They were back in Darcy's apartment, after they had handed in their official report and gotten a grudging thank-you from Nick Fury. The skies seemed to return to normal, for the most part. Jane had still not returned from New Mexico, apparently despite that encounter with the frogs she was having a good time at the Observatory, and was getting a lot of research done.

Darcy now sat on the living room couch wearing yoga pants and a tank top, a glass of wine on the coffee table and her notebook on her lap as she roughed out the last few chapters of her story. Everything felt...good, she realised, quite proud of herself. It was like she had finally contributed something. She had stopped the potential destruction of the planet, and nearly completed a novel in the process. Also, she had a new boyfriend. Kind of. Well, she had a guy. Or rather, a god. A god who sometimes turned blue. It had been a very busy month.

Loki was standing behind her. She had no idea what he was up to but then she felt him gently running his long fingers through her loose tumble of wavy hair. Then she felt strands being pulled, moved. ''What are you doing?'' she asked.

''Never you mind,'' he said as he continued the motion.

Darcy shrugged and kept writing. Whatever he was doing, it was certainly very soothing. A few minutes later he let go. Curious, she patted the back of her head and then got up and went to look in the mirror. ''Wow,'' she said, smiling as she saw that he'd woven her hair into a very intricate and beautiful long braid. ''Thank you,'' she told him, feeling oddly touched by the gesture.

''It's nothing,'' Loki replied. He had settled himself on the couch, in her spot. This didn't bother Darcy, she simply situated herself in between his long legs and picked up her notebook again.

''How's the story coming?'' he wondered as he kissed the back of her neck. ''Almost finished?''

She nodded. ''I think so. They've solved the mystery. Turns out Mr. Lamont, while definitely being a bad boy, was far less sinister than Violet had been led to believe. And she discovered that she has a bit of a wild streak herself.''

''What was his secret, by the way? Was he a vampire?'' As Loki asked this, Darcy felt his teeth run over the skin of her neck. She shivered delightedly at the sensation. ''Not exactly,'' she replied, turning around. ''He was an ice dragon.''

He gave her a quizzical look. ''An ice dragon?''

''Yes, and he has the most beautiful blue scales. And red eyes.''

''Ah.''

''Yeah.''

''Does Violet mind this?''

''Hell, no,'' Darcy answered, smiling. ''It turns her on.''

Loki could feel himself hardening. Damn, but it felt nice to be desired; it was the most potent aphrodisiac he had ever encountered. When he'd first read that story, he'd had no idea that his curiosity would lead to all of this, to finding her. But through some happy accident, or perhaps the way things aligned in the sky, he had met an extraordinary woman who was much more like him than he could have hoped for. ''So that's it, then? The end? They live happily ever after?''

Darcy shrugged. ''Eventually, I guess. But not just yet. They clearly have a knack for both kinky sex as well as detective work, and I think that they should have more opportunities to explore both of these things.''

''I think so, too.''

''Do you want to hear about my plan?'' she asked, closing the notebook and turning around completely so that she was facing Loki, straddling him with her legs.

He almost groaned at the new close proximity of their bodies, but asked, ''What's your plan?''

''I'm going to become a famous writer and then quit SHIELD.''

He nodded approvingly, resting his hands on her arms, rubbing his thumbs over her skin. ''That sounds like a good plan. I wish I could do that.''

''Oh yeah,'' Darcy said, remembering with a frown. ''That's right. It's kinda like the conditions of your parole. Oh well. Then I'll stay, too.''

''That's very sweet of you.'' Loki told her. ''But you don't have to stay on my account.''

''Well, I like that we work at the same place, even if we're not going to be working together anymore,'' Darcy answered honestly. ''I am going to miss that, though.''

'So am I,' he thought to himself. ''Well, there's only one way to settle this,'' he announced. ''I'm simply going to have to keep living here with you.''

Darcy smiled now, reaching up and toying with a piece of his hair. ''I think that would be a very wise idea.''

''And you can keep all of your toys, but you must always let me play too,'' he drew her forward and pressed his lips against her collar bone. ''And you are going to keep writing, and you are going to show me all of your stories, and tell me all of your fantasies, each and every naughty thought that has ever crossed your mind.''

''Deal,'' she said, her mind spinning as she considered all of the possibilities, all of the things that they could try together.

''On that note, I have something for you.'' Suddenly in Loki's hand there materialized two strips of emerald green silk. ''Hmmm,'' Darcy murmured, fingering the green fabric, eyeing him, their faces a breath apart. ''Whatever shall we do with these, my lord? Any ideas?''

In response, he took hold of both of her wrists and slowly tied them together, not breaking eye contact the entire time. Then Loki gave her a wicked and lovely smile as he trailed his fingers down along her throat, applying a faint, gentle pressure there. This restrained touch made a slow throb begin between her legs. ''I think that you would look beautiful tied to the bed, waiting for me. Wearing black lace. It will make a lovely sound as I tear it off of you.''

He ran his hands lower and they closed over her breasts. ''I'm going to suck on these, and you're going to writhe and start begging for me. Your sweet, tight little cunt is going to get so wet, and it will ache, just like it does now. But you will have to be a very good girl if you want me to give you what you need.''

''Oh well, you know I might have some trouble with that,'' Darcy warned breathlessly as she began to grind against his erection, driven wild by his words. ''I try to be good but sometimes I just can't help myself.''

''You must try,'' he warned. ''Or else I will have to punish you.''

More heat pooled between her legs and she pressed down harder. ''How will you punish me, my lord?'' she asked, wanting him to tell her in detail.

Loki held her hips still, stopped her rocking on his lap. His eyes darkened and he was breathing heavily as he answered. ''I'll start by spanking this delicious ass of yours. Spread you across my knee and make you count each slap. Tease you with my fingers—I know you like those—and bring you to the edge over and over and then pull away.''

His voice was low and rough and it rasped in Darcy's ears and made her pulse thrum as he continued. ''I want you on your knees with my cock in your mouth. I want to wind rope over your body, and you'll feel it against your skin every time you move. You will be reminded that you belong to me.''

''I do?'' This filled Darcy with a tugging flutter of delight. She never realized that she could be so turned on by the idea, but she was, god help her. This all felt right.

''Oh yes,'' Loki promised, and she could tell by the look on his face that he was sincere. ''I'll mark you every chance I get, so that you'll always know.''

She wanted a way to remind him that now he belonged to her, too. But she could wait. Because he did. Even if he didn't realize it yet, he would. He was smart. He would figure it out.


End file.
